Music Sets Me Free
by shards-of-divinity
Summary: As a child Harry discovered music as an escape from his cruel relatives. Even that simple pleasure is almost taken away until a friend and Draco Malfoy help him discover new possibilities. Years later at Hogwarts another chance to embrace music comes along again. HPDM  CHAPTER FOURTEEN! 8/16/2012
1. Chapter 1

_The only way Harry could escape from his cruel "family" when he was a child was music but even that was taken away from him._

Music Sets Me Free

Chapter One

* * *

Harry peeked inside the room, being enthralled by the notes floating into the hallway. The six-year-old shyly stepped inside the room and stared at the mahogany box in the center of the room.

The music teacher, Mrs. Hendrixson saw the small Potter boy out of the corner of her eye and smiled softly to herself. On the days she stayed after school to give lessons to other students, she always had the raven-haired visitor. He walked past the music room two, three times in the half an hour periods she stayed after. He always stopped and listened; even one day she found him asleep resting his head against the wall. She had reached out to touch him but Harry's brilliant green eyes had snapped open in alarm and he had shied away from her touch; running down the hallway.

Mrs. Hendrixson came to the end of her song and turned her gaze fully to the curious child. He stood there with a cautious stance but he had a soft smile on his face from the music.

"Hello, Mr. Potter. Another day staying after school?

Harry blushed but his eyes darkened slightly in distaste. Dudley was normally picked up by Uncle Vernon and Harry was forced to take the bus home. Many of his cousin's friends rode the bus and prevented him from getting onto it.

"Well, it seems that my 3:30 student isn't here; she should have been her ten years ago…" She turned friendly blue eyes towards Harry and gestured towards the chair next to her piano bench.

"Would you like to learn how to play the piano?"

Harry's eyes widened and despite himself he scurried to the chair and hopped up eagerly.

"Yes please!"

The teacher smiled. She had noticed that Harry was quite skittish and kept to himself often. He often avoided talking to other students and was quiet. This was the first time that she had seen light come into his bright, green eyes.

Mrs. Hendrixson brushed some of her faded golden hair out of her eyes and pushed her silver glasses up farther on her nose. She glanced down at the boy who was leafing through the elementary piano book with wonder. He placed the book on the music ledge and glanced shyly up to her.

She took both of his hands and placed them on the keys, each finger on the proper key of C Major.

"Now this, Harry, is where your fingers are placed. One your left hand, you start with your 'pinky' finger and count, five, four, three, two, one until you get to your thumb. On the right hand, it's the same, the thumb is one, two, three…"

* * *

Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, Harry wandered into Mrs. Hendrixson's room and received a lesson. He slipped into a "missed lesson" time or stayed later until 4:30 or even 5 to receive lessons. He flourished and had a natural talent for the art of music.

The piano teacher knew that Harry had some sort of family problems. The boy was extremely skittish and quiet. She had to coax him to open up to her even though he had been taking lessons from her for nearly two months. He looked underfed and his clothes didn't fit his body properly and were nearly in tatters.

The child's obese cousin on the other time was well taken care for and his clothing looked to be of the finest quality and well taken care of. Dudley was a pompous and cruel youth and Mrs. Hendrixson had seen the boy pick on little Harry more than once with his "gang."

Every time a lesson was scheduled, Mrs. Hendrixson set out a plate of snacks for her students. Usually scones and milk or some fruit. With Harry, she made sure to have a bit more substantial fare, small sandwiches and crisps and another side as well. She could only guess by the child's small frame that he wasn't being treated properly at home.

Harry was growing in music and slowly but surely becoming more confident in himself. Constantly Mrs. Hendrixson was amazed at how quickly her young student learned and thrived. Of course, she knew from other teachers that even from a young age that Harry was intelligent despite his slightly withdrawn nature.

As Mrs. Hendrixson rushed down the Arts hallway with a bundle of music supplies she thought of her student. The boy was very sweet…

Mrs. Hendrixson rushed into the room with a box of percussion instruments, her hair flying out of it's orderly updo.

"Sorry I'm late Harry but I had to pick up some extra instruments from inventory for tomorrows concert–-"

Harry was playing a choppy version of Beethoven's Fur Elise. Earlier when she had left the CD player on in the room when she unlocked it for him. He had heard the song maybe four times and he was already able to play the song.

Mrs. Hendrixson eyes widened and she moved, dreamlike, towards the small boy. His short fingers moved over the keys. No doubt his version of the song was choppy and under tempo, but the fact that he had picked up the song was amazing.

"Harry?"

The boy looked up from the keys and abruptly stopped playing.

"H-how did you learn to play that piece?"

The small child looked down nervously.

"Well I just heard it and well, I…"

He trailed off with a shy smile. Mrs. Hendrixson stared at him with disbelief. In all of her years she had amazing students, yes, but for one to pick up a piece so quickly and with that level of difficulty was nearly unheard of.

"W-Well, is there anything else you can play like that, my dear?"

Harry turned shy jade eyes towards his kind teacher and smiled.

He proceeded to play other pieces that he had heard, anything from simple scale patterns to more complex pieces. He could even play Rondo al Turca, a difficult piece by Mozart.

Mrs. Hendrixson stared at Harry in awe, a wide smile spreading across her face. Harry looked so relaxed and at piece as he slowly played through the song. He looked as if he had no cares in the world.

'Amazing, absolutely amazing…'

* * *

I must admit the end of that chapter was a little choppy but I promise I'll work on that!

I love to play music and I play flute, piccolo, guitar, and piano. I don't see too many "musical" fanfics out there so I thought I could try my hand at one. Harry's ability to "play by ear" is a reflection of my own ability to do so.

Chapter Two is already done and that should be posted by early next week!

Please review! I'd like any comments!

KOROGI-chan

12/24/07


	2. Chapter 2

_The only way Harry could escape from his cruel "family" when he was a child was music but even that was taken away from him._

Music Sets Me Free

Chapter Two

* * *

"What's this then? Why is my Dudders getting such poor grades compared to that fre– I mean, Harry?" 

Vernon and Petunia sat in wooden chairs in front of the science teacher's desk with angry looks on their faces. Vernon held their son's and nephew's grade reports in his beefy hands and his face was a revolting puce color.

Petunia rested a bony hand on her husband's thick thigh and looked towards the teacher who was watching them with narrowed eyes.

"What he means to say, Mr. Frayne, is that we help Dudley in his schoolings at home and he show us his homework and we see these horrible grades. We don't understand what's going on."

Mr. Frayne pushed his glasses farther onto his nose and glared at the two adults.

"For one, your son does his assignments? Ha, that boy has barely attended class! He and his group are forever missing class and roaming about the courtyards causing mischief! When he's actually here, Dudley disrupts class and does silly things like throwing around paper airplanes and the like. I have sent many a complaint home from school with him and as I understand it, I'm not the only teacher to do so! Seems to me that your 'Dudders' isn't such a good student after all!

"Young Harry on the other hand is a model student. He stays in during lunch and does his assignments here despite my attempts to have him play with the other children. He always gets near perfect marks on his tests and everything he turns in and is quite helpful to me, other teachers and students alike.

"Instead of barging into my classroom and asking why your son is doing so poorly you should be disciplining him and congratulating your nephew. If he keeps this up, he could be one of the brightest students this school has ever seen–"

"I DON'T CARE WHAT THAT FREAK DOES!!! YOU MUST NOT BE DOING YOUR JOB PROPERLY IF _MY SON_ IS DOING SO POOR!" Vernon bellowed, slamming his large fist onto the desk, knocking books and pens off onto the floor.

Mr. Frayne rose abruptly from his desk and threw the poor reports back into the man's ruddy face.

"If there is a fault with a student's learning, it is my duty to help them, but _Mr. _Dursley, it is NOT my job to take care of foolish delinquents! Good day to you!"

Vernon moved as if to grab the teacher and throttle him but Petunia grabbed his arm and futilely held him back.

"L-Lets just leave, Darling. We will deal with this at home."

The sight of the frail, bony housewife pulling on her bully of a husbands arm and trying to get him out of the door would have been amusing if it had during a different situation.

"Crackpot fool, should be fired from his bloody job!" the fat man grumbled.

As Vernon and Petunia proceeded to each classroom for conferences, Vernon's rage grew and grew. That freak of a boy must have been using magic to get his good cousin in trouble. The boy must have switched the marks around and _he_ was the one failing! When he saw the boy, Vernon was going to make sure he paid for what he had done!

* * *

"Mrs. Hendrixson! I like this song quite a bit! Maybe I could play in the Spring Recital…?" 

Harry turned hopeful green eyes to his teacher and the woman laughed and reached over onto her desk to extract a paper from his folders.

"Sure Harry, as long as you get permission from your guardians you'll be able to be in the recital."

The bright eyes clouded over. "You know that my aunt and uncle will never allow me to do it! I don' see why I would need to have permission to be in the recital; they don't care what I do anyway!"

The teacher brushed some of her graying blond hair out of her eyes and sighed.

"You know that three rehearsals are during the school day and you would need permision to be absent. Of course with your near perfect attendance and high academic scores I doubt that you would have trouble with missing a few classes…"

Harry smiled and nodded. "All of my teachers like me and know that I don't skip class or anything."

* * *

As Petunia and Vernon passed the Arts corridor, they heard somewhat familiar laughter coming from a room down the hall. Then, it was followed by piano playing, quite good playing actually. Petunia was reminded of her piano lessons from her childhood and her very limited success. She had tried to get Dudley interested but as would be imagined, that had failed. 

The music room was one of the only rooms still open as it was close to the end of conferences. They continued walking and glanced into the room. Vernon blanched and glared at the source of his foul mood. Petunia glanced at her husband and then looked inside and gasped softly at Harry sitting at the piano and playing a song without the aid of music. The boy was quite talented for a nearly ten-year-old.

The teacher, Petunia recognized was the kindly Mrs. Hendrixson whom of which her son had accused to mistreating him. Dudley had put up such a protest against the music classes, saying that he was hated by all of the Arts teachers, especially Mrs. Hendrixson.

While Petunia gazed thoughtfully at her sister's son, Vernon stormed into the room.

"What are you doing here boy?"

Immediately Harry stopped playing and Mrs. Hendrixson turned around and the two gazed, statled, at the beefy man.

"Wasting your time here when you should be doing chores at home!"

"Uncle Vernon, one of the only reasons I'm here is because you never pick me up from school. Dudley gets a ride home but I have to ride the bus–-"

"Shut up, boy, it's time to leave!"

"Now you see here! I will not have you speak to this child in such a matter!" Mrs. Hendrixson moved in front of Harry, standing up to Vernon despite her short 5' 6" frame compared to his robust body and 6' 1" frame.

Petunia rushed forward to prevent yet another confrontation and reached around the angered teacher to grab a reluctant Harry by his wrist.

"If you don't mind we will be going now. Come on Vernon, we don't need to upset anyone else tonight!"

Vernon stomped out of the room and Petunia threw an apologetic look over her shoulder to Mrs. Hendrixson.

As Harry got into the backseat of the car he was whipped around by his uncle and backhanded. He lost his balance and ended up hitting his head on the car on his way ot the ground. Harry whimpered as blood trickled from his swollen lip as he had bitten his tongue during the impact.

"Get into the car you bloody sod! You deserve it for ruining Dudley's marks and getting him into trouble!"

Harry was too slow in picking himself up off of the ground and Vernon "helped" him the rest of the way by hauling him upwards by his tattered collar and throwing him into the vehicle.

"No! Don't do that here! Someone might see us!" Petunia cried, more concerned about getting in trouble for hurting her nephew than the actually abuse her husband was inflicting upon the small boy.

Vernon slammed the door, nearly catching Harry's foot in the process then entered the car. He got it started and began a reckless drive out of the school's parking lot and went down the road.

Harry sat in the back of the car dreading returning "home". Once in private, he knew that he would receive a beating.

The moment the Dursleys and Harry returned home, Vernon slapped the boy across his fae repeatedly and took out his belt and whipped the boy. Yelling repeatedly that it was Harry's "freakiness" that had caused his precious Dudders to get such horrible marks on his report and act out of turn. He was literally thrown into his cupboard and not given dinner.

As Harry lay on his makeshift bed he brushed the tears from his face and tried to find a comfortable position to lie in. His efforts were futile with the many bruises and abrasions on his fragile body.

'As long as I have my music, I have some escape from this terrible place,' he thought as he drifted off into another fitful and restless sleep.

* * *

I hope that I haven't made Petunia too OOC. I would like to think that she knows that what her husband is doing to Harry is wrong but feels somewhat powerless to stop it or is so used to it by now that she no longer cares. Hopefully this will be fixed as this goes on. 

Please review and give me some feedback. I really appreciate it! Next chapter will be here soon.

KOROGI-chan


	3. Chapter 3

_The only way that Harry could escape from his cruel "family" when he was a child was music but even that was taken from him._

Music Sets Me Free 

Chapter Three

For nearly three weeks after "sabotaging" his cousin's grades, Harry was nearly kept on lockdown. He was constantly under watch save of course the time he was in school and his workload at home was heavier than ever. He had less time to do his schoolwork and ended up falling asleep in class and actually missing one or two assignments. After long hours of chores, Harry could only do his homework in the cupboard with a dying flashlight at all hours of the night and very early morning. He was more withdrawn in school than ever and missed having lessons with Mrs. Hendrixson.

Vernon made a point of picking up Dudley _and_ Harry from school. Harry could barely believe that he had gotten upset about missing the bus. Walking home in the dark and cold was better than missing out on his lessons.

Without them as an escape, Harry was irritable and actually snapped at a teacher. It was Mr. Frayne, the teacher who had defended the boy earlier from his relatives. He had lightly tapped Harry on the shoulder with his ruler during class and asked Harry if he wasn't getting as much sleep as he needed to get. Harry had frowned and said that was none of his business.

That outburst, though small, had caused everyone to look at Harry who was usually so soft spoken and never made a noise other than answering questions in class. He had sent a tired glare around the room and then looked down at his desk, face burning in shame.

Mr. Frayne continued to look at the small child, hunched down as far as he could get into his seat. The teacher sighed softly and just moved away from the desk. He knew that something was going on with Harry and he knew that it probably had something to do with his relatives.

All of Harry's teachers noticed the difference in Harry, the constant state of tiredness and change in attitude.

With his uncle's on-the-dot arrival to the school at 3:35PM there was no way Harry was going to get away with not being outside waiting with his whale of a cousin. The boy was becoming interesting in boxing, even at such a young age and he liked to practice his "moves" on Harry while waiting for transportation home.

Mrs. Hendrixson watched from the school's foyer as the Dursley's car left the parking lot. Since Harry could barely sneak away for lessons, she had no reason to stay on Tuesdays anymore. She could only imagine the way he was treated at home.

'There are a few days left until the Spring Recital and one of the rehearsal days occurs on a 'half-day,' she thought to herself. 'Maybe Harry could stay for a lesson then.'

Of course that wouldn't be a solution to the entire problem. Harry had been missing from school for two days after he had been dragged home by his brute of an uncle. Harry had accidentally let it slip nearly a year ago then the only time he missed school was when he had visible bruises from his uncle that had to be given a few days to heal.

Finally the day came when Harry was able to miss a couple of classes for rehearsal for the Spring Recital. Despite his recent "troubles" in class, Harry's teachers were all too happy to let him go to the rehearsal and participate despite his absent permission slip.

That finally put Harry is a good mood and Mrs. Hendrixson was all too happy to see the boy again. She had missed their lessons and the first thing she did was give him a hug and a small pack containing one of his favorite sandwiches and a warm biscuit.

"I'm glad that you can participate in the Recital, Harry! Also, since tomorrow is a half-day, you should be able to stay after school a bit longer."

Harry was counting on his cousin using his parents lack of knowledge about the school schedule to go out with Piers and his friends and not getting stuck at home. If Dudley didn't mention anything about the half-day, then Harry could stay at school for an extra four or five hours and play piano to his heart's content.

"Harry, I have something for you."

Harry turned around and his eyes widened at the package that he saw Mrs. Hendrixson holding a bag that seemed to be from a clothing store. He gave her an odd look and then took the bag and opened it. A set of clothing was inside, even down to undergarments and shoes.

Slowly, Harry pulled out the outfit, revealing a dark emerald button-down shirt and black pants. The shoes were a nice black as well. Harry gazed in awe at the wonderful gift and rushed to Mrs. Hendrixson and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Thank you! I've never received a gift before…"

Mrs. Hendrixson tightened her arms around the small boy and blinked back tears. She hoped the eventually Harry would get proper help from someone and get him away from his relatives.

"The recital will be in a week so you'd better get ready for it!"

Harry's smile brightened and he sat down at the piano and picked out a piece to play.

* * *

"Well, this is my granddaughter's first performance for a music recital. She plays the violin and she's progressing quite nicely…"

Vernon tuned out what his boss was saying, as the beefy man had a "one-track-only" mind. He knew that if he attended the girl's recital that would make him look good in the eyes of his boss, who was quite the family man. Vernon had once invited his boss to his home and put a good front on, making sure everyone was on their best behavior. Petunia had cooked her best and fanciest meal while Dudley had been as polite as he could be. Harry, of course had been shoved into his cupboard and had only emerged to clean up afterwards…

'If I keep being so polite and social with Ackhardt, then that will raise his opinion of me and give me some ground over those other fools in the company…'

"There's my granddaughter, Madison, over next to that boy with the unruly black hair–"

"What!?" Vernon strained his bull doggish neck to look ahead properly onto the small stage.

He pinpointed the boy Ackhardt had pointed out and had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from yelling in frustration.

'What the bloody hell is that _freak_ doing here!?' Vernon growled inwardly. His watery eyes scanned the boy quickly and took in the new clothes and scowled even deeper.

'Probably stole those rags, bloody brat!'

Petunia had noticed Harry as well and saw the horrible red flush rising from her husband's collar as a sign as his anger about to boil over. She rested a warning hand on his thick thigh and shook her head.

Dudley gave his father a confused look then found his cousin standing on the stage. The boy did a double take and then pulled on his mother's bony arm.

"Mum, _Mum_, that's Harry! What's _he_ doing there!?"

"Shush, boy!" Petunia said, quite loudly while holding up a thin finger to her thinner lips.

Ackhardt turned his head in question and said, "Harry?"

"Oh, just a classmate of Dudley's, nothing more," Petunia gushed in a false, cheery matter. "It seems he plays music of some sort–"

"Wow, he can actually do something," Dudley grumbled under his breath.

Petunia nudged him in his thick side, and her son protested with a squealed, "Mummy!" and fell silent.

"Vernon," Petunia hissed. "You can deal with the boy after the concert. You don't want to look bad in front of your boss do you!?"

That seemed to calm the man slightly and he tried to put on better behavior.

* * *

Mrs. Hendrixson walked onto the stage and the parents and other people in the audience clapped politely.

"Welcome to the fourth annual Spring Recital! All of these children have been preparing piece specifically for this event. First we will have the Junior Choir sing…"

The choir sang five songs and then students began to play their in different ensembles. There was a recorder quintet for the younger years and a piano duet and a couple other ensembles.

Madison stepped onto the stage and pulled out her violin. She had been playing for three years at her grandfather's insistence and had was decent for an eleven year old.

She introduced herself and her piece and began to a upbeat tune. Harry could barely concentrate due to his nervousness a queasy feeling had settled in his stomach and no matter how often he swallowed he couldn't get it to go away.

Loud clapping a few whistles signaled the end of Madison's performance and Harry turned his eyes to her as she bowed and smiled brightly to the audience.

She walked towards the exit of the stage and gave Harry a soft smile.

"You'll do fine, don't be nervous."

Harry gazed back into her light brown eyes and smiled back.

"Thanks," he murmured back, shyly.

Harry got onto the stage and bowed quickly, his anxiety present. He had never performed for anyone else besides Mrs. Hendrixson and she had insisted that he sounded quite good and would do very well.

He walked over to the piano and pulled the bench back. As he sat down, Harry turned his eyes to the audience and froze as his eyes settled on the last people he expected/wanted to see.

His relatives, were sitting a row away from the front. Vernon's watery eyes were glaring at him. Harry stayed frozen like that and then he finally snapped out of his stupor and sat down entirely on the seat.

Taking large gulps of air, Harry placed his fingers on the keys and began to play. The piece was "Bourrée in G" by Johann Sebastian Bach. (1)

'I know this piece, I just need to ignore them and play…'

Harry closed his eyes and let his fingers run over the keys. The song was light and bouncy and he enjoyed playing it. It had been a little difficult at first to get his fingers up to speed especially with his lessons being cut short, but in the end Harry had managed.

Unknown to Harry, the audience was in awe of his playing. He was amazing for a nine-year-old.

Harry's relatives had mixed emotions. Vernon was so angry he was about to stand up and drag the boy off the stage. His own son couldn't play any instrument and had no talents other than his feeble attempts at boxing. He hated the freak to be better than his son at anything.

Petunia was impressed despite herself. The boy was quite talented and wondered how he had gotten the time to learn how to play piano. She was enjoying the music; it brought memories to her of dates with Vernon to concerts…

Dudley was bored and had his chin in his hand. He was not cultured enough to appreciate the music bouncing from stage. After giving his neighbors a look, he noticed how impressed they were with his cousin. He grumbled and slumped down farther in his seat.

Harry played the last note and let out a breath he had been holding during the last section of the song. When he removed his fingers from the keys and the auditorium exploded with applause. Everything rushed back to Harry and he turned surprised eyes to the audience. People were standing and clapping, for _him_!

After getting up from the piano bench and giving a shaking bow, Mrs. Hendrixson gave Harry a hug and then all of the other students got onto the stage and the clapping got louder.

"Who was that young man? He is amazing. Madison, you never told me about him."

The girl shook her head and clutched her piano book to her chest.

"I never knew he was a student or really noticed him before now. He is quite good at piano."

"Yes he is. If you keep up for your violin studies maybe he could accompany you in ensemble…"

Harry had many people come up to him after the concert and ask him how long he had been playing music and who his instructor was. He was overwhelmed with questions and praise and it all felt wonder to the young boy and a bit much as well.

Suddenly, Petunia's hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled him out of a group of people talking to him.

"Your uncle is _not _happy with you boy!"

Harry whimpered as he was yanked from the room and he caught sight of Mrs. Hendrixson and she noticed him moving through the crowd. She saw him being dragged away and moved through the throngs of people trying to get to her student.

Ackhardt put his arm around his granddaughter's slim shoulders and squeezed her to him. Madison's parents smiled down at their daughter and the girl's father handed her a candy stick and mused her hair.

As Harry was dragged to the car by his aunt he looked on at Madison through his tears of pain and despair. His aunt was pulling on his arm quite hard, but he knew that pain would be nothing compared to what his uncle would do to him when he got home.

"Had to show up Dudley didn't you?"

Harry cried out as Vernon grabbed onto Harry's wrist in a painful grip. It was already sore from his aunt dragging him from the school to the car. It was twisted quite painfully and if anymore pressure was put onto the joint it wouldn't just end up being a sprain.

"Had to use your freakiness to show off! Good for nothing!"

"P-please don't pull so hard Uncle Vernon," Harry whimpered, tears falling down his face.

In response, Harry was whipped around and a resounding _CRACK_ was heard. Harry screamed in pain and Vernon pushed his down to the floor.

"Try to do anything with that wrist now, boy!"

Petunia had turned away and Dudley had an ugly smirk on his face.

"Vernon, you can't do that! That's different from a bruise or little cut! People would be able to see that his wrist is broken!"

"I don't bloody care! He can rot in that cupboard and never go to that school again!"

With that, Harry was picked up by the collar of his now torn and bloody shirt and thrown into said cupboard. He banged his head against the door when Vernon shut it violently and was nearly knocked unconscious. To add insult to injury, Vernon kicked the door rattling the walls and causing dust to fall onto Harry and make him sneeze.

Harry cradled his broken wrist to his chest while tears fell down his cheeks. At that momeny he hater his "family. Vernon, for hurting him, Petunia for not stepping in and saying what was happening was wrong and Dudley for going a lot with everything his father said.

The pain was making Harry go into shock and he slowly lost consciousness. It seemed like the entire world had turned its back on him.

* * *

Longest chapter yet, and I hope it was enjoyed despite the ending. Don't worry, things will get better for our protagonist.

Since I'm back in school now, updates will not be as often as they are now. Chapter 4 is halfway done and there's a bit for Chapter 5. So don't give up on me!!

(1) I have no idea what that songs looks like for piano but I've played it for flute and it doesn't seem like the difficulty level would be _too_ unbelievable for Harry play since he's a music genius!

PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks!

1/6/08

KOROGI-chan


	4. Chapter 4

_The only way that Harry could escape from his cruel "family" when he was a child was music but even that was taken from him._

Music Sets Me Free 

Chapter Four

Vernon sat down in his chair and stared blindly into the television nursing a warming glass of brandy. Petunia sat next to him, her eyes focused blindly on the television.

He was thinking about the concert and the talent the freak had displayed. Even though he loather the boy he couldn't help but admire what he could do. Of course those feelings were squashed when he thought of his own son who had no special talents but possibly had some sort of future in boxing if he stuck to his training.

His mind went back to Ackhardt and his granddaughter Madison. Hadn't his boss mentioned something about wanting someone to accompany the girl for some musical competition?

'I could use that boy's talent for myself…'

Vernon sharply turned his gaze towards the cupboard where he knew the boy was resting. Vernon had yelled at him for not doing the evening chores fast enough. Of course his wrist was broken but it had been the freaks own fault for that.

'I'll have to take his to the hospital and cover up what happened so the blame doesn't get put onto us. Of course boys are always out breaking things and being rowdy so I shouldn't have too much to worry about…'

Meanwhile while Harry lay on his cot, he tenderly held his wrist and silently kept tears from falling down his face. His wrist hurt even more from scrubbing the dishes and hauling the garbage bags out after dinner. His aunt had given him a "break" from cooking dinner and bringing the groceries into the care but still, all of the stress was too much for such a painful injury.

Harry whimpered softly and then froze. He could hear his uncles loud steps making their way from the living room towards his cupboard. Harry shark back into his cupboard and pressed himself again the walls as far as his small body could go. When his uncle pulled him from his cupboard it was never for anything good.

'I hope he isn't drunk…'

The door was wrenched open and Harry shielded his eyes from the bright light that poured into his little space. He was grabbed by his arm, thankfully not his broken limb and pulled out with not too much force as usual. Almost _gentle _as if his uncle was trying to help him.

"Boy, I have a job for you to do."

Harry blinked to adjust to the light and stared wide-eyed at his uncle who was giving him a sort of leery look.

"Your wrist is broken so we'll have to go to the doctor about that–"

After that statement, Harry stopped listening. His relatives had never "wasted time and money" trying to heal any of the injuries he had. Only by something close to a miracle did they heal properly. Almost like…magic?

"Petunia! Get me some gauze and medical tape!"

Harry looked towards the stairwell and heard his aunt walking around upstairs, grabbing the medical supplies from the closet. She descended the stairs and then gave Harry a look and reached out for his injured wrist. Out of habit, Harry shied away and Petunia had to resist the urge to snap at him

"I'm only going to wrap up your wrist! Stop being so skittish!"

Harry offered up his wrist and watched as his aunt gently straightened it out as much as she could without causing Harry too much pain. She wrapped the bandage tightly and ignored the whimpers of protest the boy made.

"That should work until tomorrow when Vernon takes you to the hospital."

Harry pulled his wrist away from his aunt and looked down at the new dressing. He turned wide eyes to both of his relatives.

'Have they gone mad?'

Petunia touched his shoulder and turned him around to the kitchen. Once again, Harry flinched but his aunt pushed him towards the kitchen door telling him that there was food Sin there set out for him.

Slowly, Harry made his way into the room and saw leftovers that he had put away sitting on the plate. Grilled chicken, scalloped potatoes and a slice of carrot cake. A cool glass of milk accompanied the meal and Harry stared at it with a starved look on his face. He couldn't contain the glint that came into his eyes, living on only stale bread, thing slices of deli meat and cheese and warm water couldn't sustain the body of a growing boy.

He took the plate into his hand and looked uncertainly at his relatives to see what to do about where he should eat.

"Just sit at the table boy."

Harry pulled a fork and knife out of the kitchen drawer and then sat down at the table and began to eat. His relatives watched his from the kitchen door and he sat there and tried to eat slowly to counteract the amount of hunger he had.

He savored the juicy chicken and cool milk. He ate slowly trying to take pleasure in eating instead of shoving it all into his mouth before having it get taken away. His relatives were just watching him with wary eyes and being very odd. They must want something if they were bring this nice to him.

He finished and then put his dishes in the sink but instead of cleaning them his aunt told him to leave them there.

"Come now, Harry. You need to get cleaned up."

Harry was pulled up the stairs and ushered into Dudley's spare bedroom. He turned around in alarm when his aunt shut the door. It wasn't locked so he turned around and saw that the previously messy room was neater than he had ever seen it. The broken toys and torn books had been cleared away and his outfit he had worn to the recital was cleaned and was hung over the back of a chair.

"Your clothes are in here so hurry and get into the shower and then put them on."

The doorbell rang and Petunia quickly flattened Harry's hair down as much as she could, She had gotten some sort of hair gel and smeared it into Harry's hair after he took a quick (hot) shower.

"Hurry up boy, he's here!"

Petunia rushed Harry down the stairs and then straightened out the wrinkles on her skirt. She opened the door to reveal Vernon's boss, Mr. Ackhardt with his young granddaughter, Madison.

Harry peered around his aunt and met Madison's eyes. She smiled down at him and Harry smiled back.

"Hello, do come in!"

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his aunt's "sociable" tone of voice. She did it when she wanted to impress people and it was high pitched and sugary sweet. Horrible really

Madison looked at Harry's wrist and gasped.

"What happened to your wrist Harry?"

Before the boy had a chance to answer his uncle cut in with the feeble excuse of having fallen down the stairs.

"We were just planning on taking him to the hospital later today to check and make sure its not broken…"

Harry nearly saw red. 'It is broken!' He wrist throbbed as if to verify its injury. He winced.

Madison narrowed her eyes and her grandfather motioned to put his coat back on.

"Well you should get on that right away! We can discuss Harry and Madison playing together later on after you get him looked after. Cant have his talent wasted because of an untreated injury!"

Ackhardt smiled down at his granddaughter and helped her put her coat back on. Vernon sputtered and said that they could wait to take Harry to the doctor but Ackhardt gave him a hard look and then moved to exit the house.

"Okay boy, get your coat and things and go out to te garage. We're going to the doctor. Sooner we get your bloody wrist fixed the better!"

Harry did as he was told but his mind was still stuck on what Ackhardt had said. 'Madison and I will be playing together? When was this decided?'

I apologize for this chapter being a bit later than usual. I have a lot more to do this semester!

I'm surprised with how many people responded to the poll of "What instrument should Draco play?"! It was mostly between singing and violin and violin just barely surpassed singing. I can't come up with meaningful lyrics and I wouldn't want to use a song already made so violin is easier.

If any of my readers would like to give me some tips on pieces that are good for violin/piano duets that would be amazing. I love violin but don't know _too much _about it.

Please Review

KOROGI-chan

1/27/08


	5. Chapter 5

_The only way Harry could escape from his cruel "family" when he was a child was music but even that was taken away from him._

Music Sets Me Free

Chapter Five

* * *

Harry walked inside of the school after missing close to a week. He had a cast on his broken wrist but after a few days, Harry noticed it was healing a lot faster than it should have. The cast was also itchy and bulky and he was tempted to ask Vernon is he could go back to the doctor and have the annoying thing removed. Harry decided to grin and bear it; getting rid of the cast after less than a week with his sort of injury would be awfully suspicious…

The noise and bustling of student and teachers alike going down the halls was something Harry had missed. He carried his tattered backpack over his shoulder (one that could barely hold his books) and walked into his first class, which was science with Mr. Frayne.

"Ah, good to see you again, Harry."

Harry smiled and a pleased flush spread across his face. He was glad to be back in school but he was really waiting for his first practice with Madison and seeing Mrs. Hendrixson again. Even though he had his arm in the cast, somehow Harry sensed that it was healing quicker than normal, even though he had nothing else to compare it to.

He made his way to his desk and pulled out his textbook and paper. Mr. Frayne went up and down the rows handing students little sheets with grades for their assignments and tests. He stopped at Harry's desk and placed the sheet facedown.

"I'm afraid that you missed a test but you can make it up after school tomorrow or the day after."

"Thank you," Harry murmured and looked over his sheet. He had a lower grade with his test and a couple of missing homework assignments but overall it wasn't so bad. At one time Harry had been concerned about how angry his relatives got when he received better grades than his cousin, but now Harry didn't care anymore.

Mr. Frayne looked at Harry's cast and gave the boy a concerned glance. "How did you hurt yourself?"

"Oh, I just tripped and fell this past weekend. There was ice on the walkway and I slipped going out to the mailbox."

That was a somewhat believable excuse. There had been a late ice storm even though it was springtime now. The walkway to the mailbox had been icy and anyone could have slipped on their way to collect the mail. Harry waited for Mr. Frayne's expression to turn less cloudy and more agreeable.

"Yes, with that odd weather we had this past weekend. I hope you feel better soon."

Harry nodded. "It really doesn't feel that bad, it's itchier than anything else."

"Hmm, the break must not have been too serious…" the teacher said thoughtfully even though Harry had only had the cast on for at most four days as it was the Wednesday after the storm.

"I guess it was only a fracture or something," Harry murmured, looking down at his desk. He felt bad for lying, but he didn't want anyone else to know the truth. He just wanted to slide by on excuses and hopefully he wouldn't have to do it for much longer.

The rest of the day went by quickly with much of the same thing, Dudley and his "gang" taunting Harry in between classes, making up missing assignments and learning. By the time half past three came around, Harry was bouncing around in excitement. Dudley was being forced to stay after school for extra tutoring but the fool was skipping with his friends. Harry narrowly missed them when he went down the hallway to the music wing and heard his cousin's loud steps. He just managed to duck into the music room just in time and was met by both Mrs. Hendrixson and Madison.

"Harry!" Mrs. Hendrixson exclaimed as the child nearly fell into the room. He caught his balance and looked at both of them with a smile.

"Hello Mrs. Hendrixson, Madison," he murmured. "I hope my lessons are still on!"

"Oh yes, harry. You can have them for the rest of the year, maybe during the summer depending on my schedule, and yours of course."

She gazed silently at the cast and sighed. She had her suspicions about Harry's aunt and uncle. She had asked Harry's other teachers what they thought of Harry and they had all said the same: that he was a sweet boy but they were suspicious about his absence from school and the way he was so quiet and reserved.

Harry's face lit up and he turned his attention to Madison. Her gaze was focused on the cast on Harry's wrist.

"How is your wrist feeling, Harry? I suppose we won't be able to practice for awhile…"

Harry shook his head. "It's starting to feel better already. It was only a small fracture I think…"

Madison gazed at him and then nodded. She had a feeling that Harry's story wasn't very accurate. Even though she had never really paid attention to Harry before the Spring Recital, she could sense that he had a sort of sadness around him and he didn't let people get too close.

Mrs. Hendrixson began to pack up her things. She knew that Harry couldn't practice right now and she didn't want him to strain his already injuring wrist. She hoped that the injury didn't affect his ability to play.

"Harry, unfortunately you won't be able to play right now, so I think that was will continue our lessons on Thursday or possibly Friday."

Harry nodded and squeezed the strap of his backpack, his face falling slightly. Mrs. Hendrixson sighed and gave Harry a smile. "I don't want you to strain yourself."

Mrs. Hendrixson put all of her things away and picked up a light jacket, carrying bag, and purse and pulled out her key to look the music room. She let Harry and Madison out first and all three of them made their way from the building.

"I will see both of you tomorrow!" Mrs. Hendrixson said with a soft smile and a wave towards them both. Harry and Madison decided to walk outside since the air was cool and refreshing compared to the stuff air in the building.

"Well," Madison began, "my grandfather is looking forward to the two of us getting together and practicing. He wants me to be in a couple of competitions during the summer.

Harry smiled and knew that if was really going to be that busy during the summer then he would be around his relatives less and that was a good thing.

"You're a competent piano player and he was very impressed with your skills. Even for such a young age, and he thinks we could be good friends."

Harry gazed at Madison with a surprised look on his face. Someone like her be friends with him? Even though Vernon made a decent living and the Dursleys lived in comfort, Madison and her family were more that a step above them. From what little bit Harry understood about money, he knew that some people with the Ackhardt's standing wouldn't even associate with someone like Harry or his family.

Madison didn't seem to be rude like that, Harry knew as he received a puzzle stare in return.

"What? DO you not want to accompany me for performances?"

"No, no, no! Don't get me wrong. I really want to!"

Madison's light brown eyes regarded Harry silently then blinked. She turned her head towards the sky and watched the raindrops begin to fall from the rapidly darkening sky.

"Come on Harry!" She grabbed onto his backpack and pulled him back to the overhang by the school doors. The two children waited, laughing, for the either the rain to stop or for their respected rides to take them back home.

A black Mercedes came around the circle drive and Madison smiled at Harry before pulling her jacket closer to her.

"Well, I will see you tomorrow Harry. I hope your wrist heals quickly!"

Harry smiled back and watched the girl rush over to the car and get in. She waved out the window and the car drove away.

Soon after, Vernon's car pulled up with both of his relatives in the front. Vernon grumbled about Harry taking too long about getting into the vehicle but Harry ignored him. His mind was filled with thoughts of practicing with Madison and all of the fun they would have. Music was truly an escape for him in more ways than one.

* * *

My computer was getting fixed. I lost use of Microsoft programs, so I had to take it in. Something about Vista receiving a blow from the conflict between security programs…ICK

Hopefully updating twice will make up for some of the wait all of my readers have been going through! Finally I'm done with midterms and I'm getting to Spring Break (a month earlier than my old high school friends, heehee)!

Of course Harry's wrist healing fast is due to his magic and he doesn't know it yet.

BTW, if anyone is wondering, Madison's birthday is in November 1978, so she is nearly two years older than Harry.


	6. Chapter 6

_I'M EXTREMELY SORRY THAT I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN SO LONG!! I was nearly done with this chapter at the beginning of April, but my computer crashed! Afftech, my normal computer place, couldn't fix my computer so I had to send it all the way to Acer Headquarters in TEXAS. I just got it back in May and I've been busy with two jobs. I'm going to write a couple more chapters and try to update those as soon as possible before I get back to my normal updating schedule!_

**_………_**

_The only way Harry could escape from his cruel "family" when he was a child was music, but even that was taken away from him._

Music Sets Me Free

Chapter Five

Draco rolled his eyes as Dobby, his fussy house elf tried to smooth out his collar and help him get his complicated jacket in order.

"Could you stop picking at me for one second?! Bloody hell!"

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, how DARE you use words like that?!" Narcissa Malfoy's voice rang out from down the hall. The beautiful woman swept into the room and narrowed her eyes at her son, whom of which was about to give a little concert for some of their guests in the grand hall.

"Malfoys do not stoop to the level of using such foul language! Where did you hear such terrible things!?"

"Indeed young master, I is thinking you shouldn't utter such horrible words!"

"Who cares about your opinion, Dobby? Besides, Father says much, much worse and mother never gives a damn what he says—OUCH!!"

Narcissa smacked Draco on the back the head and the posh blonde glared at his mother and rubbed the now throbbing spot through his fine blond hair.

"You're going to get ready, and you're going to do well for this performance. You don't want you father and our _Lord_ to be displeased do you?"

A shuttered look swept over Draco's face. He didn't want to displease his father but he didn't want to think of the repercussions of displeasing Lord Voldemort. The Malfoys were holding the meeting at their manor. Even though Voldemort had been thought to be vanquished close to nine years earlier by the "Savior" Harry Potter, that didn't mean that Lucius Malfoy, Voldemort's most trustful servant wasn't going to let the Death Eater code slide in their master's absence.

"You know the sort of people your father will have here tonight. You will not shame him by acting like a petulant brat.

Draco grudgingly let Dobby straighten on his jacket, fix his pale blond hair and make him look presentable.

He pulled his violin from its case and held it lovingly in his hands. The polished wood gleamed in the light from the candles sitting on his desk. He gently ran a hand over the smooth wood and pulled out the bow. The violin was a bit smaller than the standard a person would use because of his smaller stature and reach but when he became older he could get another violin.

Draco stood there under the bright lights from the chandelier hanging from the high, vaulted ceiling. It wasn't that he had never performed in front of people before but the audience here put more pressure on him. He took in a deep breath and focused his gaze on his mother who sat next to his father. He cold gray eyes held a bit of warmth for his son and he smiled slightly in her direction.

He lifted his bow and began to play. The clear tone rang beautifully throughout the large hall and everyone at the table despite themselves was in rapture at the Malfoy heir's talent with the instrument he held.

"Little Drakey is quite talented, of course what can we expect from the great man who fathered him?" Bellatrix Lestrange murmured, her eyes scanning Draco in an unhealthy way. The boy blinked but showed no other reaction and Narcissa rested her hand on his leg under the table.

"I would thank you not to call my son such inane names, Bella." Malfoy Senior murmured.

Draco slowly put food into his mouth and chewed, even though he had lost his appetite and interest in food. The normally wonderful meal tasted like sand in his mouth. His aunt still regarded him with her disturbing gaze.

He liked playing violin, it was a calming outlet for him and he enjoyed music. None of his other friends (or should he say followers enjoyed music the way he did at all.

….

The heat from the summer sun bore down on Harry's back, making sweat fall into his eyes and his hair damp. He wiped his forehead for what seemed to be the thousandth time and check the broken watch on his wrist.

"Half-past one," he murmured softly, getting up from his kneeling position in the front garden. Brushing the dirt on his torn trousers, Harry stretched and reached his hands up towards the sky. He reveled in the absence of pain from his wrist even though the limb had long since healed.

At quarter to three, Harry was going to have another practice with Madison. She had a competition coming up in August for a scholarship to the music academy she was attending in the fall. Even though he family could have easily paid for the school themselves, it gave Madison a since of self-importance that she was "earning" the money herself.

Harry moved inside and made sure not to make too much noise. Petunia was upstairs in the bedroom taking a nap and he didn't want to make noise and have her increase the normal wrath. He moved into the spare bedroom and pulled off his torn T-shirt and dirty pants and put them in the hamper.

Ever since Harry was expected to practice with Madison, Vernon had decided to put up appearances for his boss so Ackhardt wouldn't suspect anything bad about their family. Ackhardt had never known about Harry until his debut a few months ago at the Spring Recital and that had been quite suspicious as well. Vernon had fixed that at once, not wanting to lose his job at Grunnings just because of the freak.

A nice shower was a perfect way to get rid of the dirty feeling from sweating in the hot sun and working in the garden. A slightly shorter list for the days he practiced with Madison was, in its own way a small reward. Harry made sure to lather his head with shampoo and conditioner. He made good use of it to, his relatives only let up the tight hold they had on him for appearances. Outside of practice, it was all the same; harsh treatment and hard work.

After the shower, Harry quickly dressed in khaki shorts and a pale green T-shirt.

Harry walked out of the house and saw the black Mercedes that normally picked him up to take him to Madison's grandfather's home. That's where she often stayed when her parents were out of the country doing business and working. There was a lovely grand piano and Harry especially liked it because instead of the typical black, the piano itself was a soft ivory in color.

"Harry!" Madison called when the younger boy slipped into the car. "Are you ready to practice today? I have three new pieces we could try!"

When she said that, Madison grabbed onto Harry's upper arm and squeezed. Even though her grip was gentle it aggravated Harry's sunburn and the bruise he had from Piers and Dudley chasing him. His let out a barely audible hiss of pain, but Madison heard and she drew her hand away quickly.

"Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine, don't worry. I just have some sunburn from being outside a lot for the past couple of days," Harry hated himself for stuttering.

Madison gave him a look of disbelief, her eyes looking through him somehow. There was a tension in the air between them and Harry felt somewhat ill. Madison finally blinked and turned away, choosing to gaze out the window instead of arguing with Harry.

"Well, whether you tell me or not, I hope you feel better."

Madison smiled at the chauffer as he opened the door for the two children. She grabbed Harry's hand and walked along with him towards her grandfather's house. They usually practiced there. Harry loved the grand piano and the cool and open room the piano was located in. There were many shelves filled with piano music along with violin and voice. It was a music room and Harry hoped, if he could get away from his relatives that he could one of his own.

The door to the studio was opened and Harry stepped in with a happy smile on his face. He got right at home pulling out his copy of Madison's accompanying music and setting it, and himself at the piano. Vernon wouldn't let Harry practice piano anywhere else but at the Ackhardt's home so Harry mostly had to sight-read what he was doing. Thankfully, the music wasn't that difficult but the practice would help Harry increase is musical skills in the long run.

Harry watched Madison pull out her violin and begin to tune the instrument. He pressed down on the "A" key on the piano so she would have the note she needed to tune to. Madison smiled at Harry and tuned to "A", "E", and "G".

The piece that Madison was going to play for the competition was actually challenging for Harry to pull off. He had to make himself stick to the proper fingers for each of the kys and the passages were quick and he had to reach as far as he could for his small hands to reach the octave stretches the chords made. No matter how difficult the piece was, he had fun sight-reading the music. Madison's constantly improving tone on her violin was lovely and the two friends played together for the better part of two hours before taking a break.

Madison set her violin down and stretched. Her hands were a bit cramped from playing so much. Harry kept running over the piano parts he had trouble with.

"So, Harry, are you going anywhere nice for the holiday?"

Harry had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. The Dursleys would never take him anywhere. Dudley had been raving about some theme park he wanted to go to now that he was tall enough to ride the rides. Petunia wanted to visit a school friend of hers sometime in July. They would most likely leave him with Ms. Figg, the woman with the house that constantly smelled of cats and their catnip.

"I don't think so. I know my aunt and cousin have things planned but they're not exactly going to be entertaining."

That wasn't really a lie; no, not a lie at all. Madison opened her mouth to reply but Harry asked in a rush, "Are _you_ doing anything fun?"

"Well, my grandfather would like to go to America for a festival that's going on. I've been there once, but that was when I was only five-years-old. We'll do that in a couple of weeks."

Harry looked a bit crestfallen. "How long will you be gone?"

"Maybe a couple of weeks."

Harry sighed and began to gather up some of the piano music while Madison watched him. She could tell that something was wrong. After glancing towards the clock, she knew Harry would have to leave to go back home soon. For some unknown reason the younger boy had a very strict curfew.

Madison put her violin away and watched as Harry's previously cheerful attitude faded quite drastically. Somehow she knew that if it weren't for them practicing together that Harry would have to stay at home and not have any fun. After meeting the smaller boy, she had noticed that he did not have many friends and tended to stay to himself.

She sighed and tried to lighten the mood. She didn't like to see Harry upset.

"Don't look so sad! I know you'll miss me but this is a bit much isn't it?"

Harry smiled slightly and then straightened up a little. Madison wasn't sure if it was because he was actually happy or if her was just trying to reassure her somehow. Anything was better than the dejected look he had on his face earlier.

After a quick assessment of her friend, Madison made a decision. She grabbed onto Harry's wrist and began to practically drag him down the hallway.

"We should go to the ice cream parlour! It's such a hot day outside and I feel like having something sweet!"

Soon Harry, Madison and her grandfather found themselves in Draghtley's Confectionary with sundaes topped with melted fudge, nuts, and other tasty things. Madison took her spoon and began to dig in as her grandfather slowly ate the ice cream. Harry just sat there and stared at the large mound of icy sweets and slowly picked up his spoon.

"Do you not like the toppings?" Ackhardt asked. "You didn't ask for anything specific so I just put everything on."

Harry shook his head. "No sir, I've just never had ice cream before."

Ackhardt let out a disbelieving snort and Madison's brown eyes widened.

"How could you never have ice cream? I LOVE it!" Madison nearly shouted. Harry blushed to the roots of his hair and looked down at his treat with shame. It wasn't really his choice that he had never had ice cream. He had seen Dudley eat the entire gallon of ice cream in afew hours. He had wanted to have some but his relatives would never let him have any in a million years.

Ackhardt looked on at him and gestured to the melting cream. "Well, you'd better try some before it all melts, Harry."

Harry smiled shyly and finally put his spoon into the soft cream and took out a small amount. He looked at the fudge and nuts before putting the spoon into his mouth. It was so cold and flavor burst on his tongue. It was better than he thought it would be!

He eyes closed in slivers of delight and he delved into the sundae glass again and again.

"Don't eat it too fast or you'll get an ice cream headache!" Madison laughed as she watched her friend savor the treat. Harry kept eating the ice cream at a record pace and didn't care too much about getting a headache.

The boy finished in record time as Madison and her grandfather stared at him. Harry set his spoon down and leaned back in the chair, shivering slightly from eating so much ice cream at once. He had a silly grin on his face that was so sweet that Madison couldn't resist giving him a big hug after they left the parlour.

"I still can't believe you've never had ice cream. We must make it a point to take you more often."

Suddenly Harry realized that he didn't have money to pay.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Ackhardt! I should have never had any ice cream at all! I don't have money to pay and—"

The olden man held up a hand and gave the frazzled boy a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about it! I could just take it out of your uncle's check!" Ackhardt was obviously trying to tease the child and lighten his mood but Harry took it seriously.

"No sir!! Please don't do that; I'll be in so much trouble!"

"Harry, I'm sorry I as only trying to tease you but I see that it backfired on me."

Harry turned red again and gave a shaky laugh.

Madison watched as her friend got out of the car and turned back with a small smile and wave.

"I wish that Harry could be happy, Grandfather. He's always sad and withdrawn. I don't like the Dursleys either. They didn't congratulate him at his recital and his uncle seems cruel."

Ackhardt stared down at his granddaughter and then looked at the small boy walking to his home. Harry glanced back one more time before heading inside.

"You are right, sometimes he looks quite sad. I honestly knew nothing of Dursley's nephew until that very same day…"

Madison turned bright eyes towards the olden man. "What if they are hurting him!?"

As they pulled away from the boy's house, Ackhardt could not say too much about it.

"We would need proof before proving it, sweetheart."

Madison did not like that response at all. If she could have it her way she would have Harry stay with her, maybe he could get a scholarship to the school as well! She didn't want to see the boy she was getting closer to slip out of her fingers and have his talents wasted just because his family seemed cruel.

Finally, a little glance at Draco and some of the magic life . I hope that I can keep him in character as much as possible. I've already failed at Harry and a bit with the Dursleys. I can only hope to not let this slide anymore than I have to…

3/12/08


	7. Chapter 7

_

* * *

_

The only way Harry could escape from his cruel "family" when he was a child was music but even that was taken away from him.

Music Sets Me Free

Chapter One

Vernon nodded towards his boss as the fancy car pulled out of the driveway. He kept on the polite façade until the car was out of sight. He glared down at Harry who had a happy smile on his face and a healthy flush in his cheeks.

"I hope you aren't becoming interested in Ackhardt's daughter!"

Harry gave Vernon an incredulous look.

"No, Uncle, we just practice and then sometimes do thing with her grandfather. We're just friends."

Harry liked Madison a lot and considered her to be a very good friend that he could trust and have fun with. In fact, she was his only friend, and he hoped that Vernon wouldn't mess up his relationship with the girl.

"No matter, boy. Put those clothes back into Dudley's spare room and get back in the cupboard! Don't know why I asked that question anyway, she and her family would never be interested in the likes of you."

* * *

Harry slowly munched on his makeshift sandwich made from one slice of bread, meat and cheese. He became lost in thought as he thought about what his uncle had said. Did he like Madison?

Madison was one of the few people who gave Harry the time of day. Besides the fact that he could play piano and help her with her competition, she was nice to him and they spent time together outside of practicing. Also, she was very pretty and she wasn't afraid of Dudley like the other people who had tried to befriend him.

Harry blushed as he kept thinking about her. Madison was nearly opposite of him, she was outgoing and sure of her talents. If it hadn't been for Mrs. Hendrixson and later Madison and her family, Harry would have never thought he was good at music at all. He would have never touched a piano and never gotten to be in the Spring Recital that served as his debut.

He flushed angrily when he remember what his uncle had said about 'the Madison and her family not wanting the likes of him.' Maybe they didn't, but at least Harry was treated like a human being, like the other children he saw being dropped off at school with a smile and kind touch getting them through the day.

He made a face as he drank the warm water. It was hot outside and the humidity in the cupboard was almost unbearable. The warm water wasn't really quenching his thirst at all. He stretched out his legs as much as he could in the cramped space. He was growing, not much but enough to reduce the already tiny space.

He let his mind drift back to the day when he and Madison had gotten ice cream with her grandfather. The ice cream has been nothing short of amazing, no wonder Dudley wined and begging his relatives to take him to the parlour practically every day. Spending time with Vernon's boss and the young violinist had been a great and relaxing experience and he wished he had more people who wanted to spend time with him and take care of him.

With that, Harry turned his thoughts to his deceased parents. Even though Vernon and Petunia has been extremely vocal about what 'rubbish' his parents were they had to be better than two horrible people who barely fed him or paid attention to him. When Vernon had broken Harry's wrist the only reason he had taken him to the hospital was to keep up appearances.

A loud rapping on the cupboard door roused Harry from his dose and Petunia's voice came from the other side.

"Boy, I need you to pick up some things from the store!"

Harry blinked against the sudden light coming into his cupboard and winced as his aunt grabbed him by his tender wrist and yanked him into the kitchen.

"Stop being lazy and take this list to the grocer! There are only fie things on the list and I'm giving you a certain amount of pounds to take with you so if you come back with anything less than exact change then you'll deal with your uncle's belt!"

Harry nearly tumbled to the floor as his aunt roughly let him go and the tingling in his legs didn't help. It seemed that Petunia hadn't forgotten the missing money. Dudley and Piers had taken some money from Harry as he walked home and Vernon had literally thrown him into the cupboard with no food or water for a day and a half.

"Yes, Aunt Petunia."

He grabbed his oversized sweat jacket and stepped out into the evening air. The summer air had been quite mild the past week and it was actually cold in the evenings. Harry was so glad to be out of the house and knew that he had only a half an hour until his uncle got home. He didn't want to see him and he didn't want to be seen. His uncle would probably try to humiliate him by saying he had feelings for Madison and Petunia and Dudley would never let him hear the end of it.

Harry made quick work of walking into the store and buying sugar, milk, flour, eggs, and vanilla extract. He wished he could just snip a little bit of money to buy one of the sandwiches in the deli area, but Vernon calculated just how much money the boy would have to spend at the grocery store and if he showed up with one penny less Harry would suffer the consequences.

Dudley and Piers were walking towards the bus stop, laughing loudly. Harry glanced at his cracked wristwatch and saw that Dudley was supposed to be home half an hour ago. The two bullies were coming his way so he walked quickly into an alleyway and set his parcels down on the ground. He didn't want them to discover him at all.

As the two boys went by, Harry could catch snippets of their conversation.



"Yeah, don't worry about Mum finding the broken lamp; I'll just blame it on the freak as always. She always believes me, both of them do. I can do no wrong with _him_ around."

Harry has to bite his lip from letting out a disgusted sigh. Dudley and his friend were forever breaking things and then blaming him for it. The only time Harry had broken anything was three Christmases ago when he broke his aunt's favorite ornament. Harry had tried to see if there was anything under the tree for him but his pajama top had gotten caught on one of the branches and knocked off the glass globe. His aunt had raved about it all day and for days after and he had missed out on Christmas dinner and had to stay in the cupboard all day. The incident had been all for nothing since Harry had not gotten anything after all.

"Well, boy, Ackhardt told me that you were going to play piano with his granddaughter for some competition she's going to be in and they are going to give you money when you're done?"

Harry glanced up from the dishes he was washing and nodded at his aunt. His uncle overheard the conversation and looked up with a greedy smile.

"I hope you don't think any of that money will go to you, boy. We deserve all of the money since he have to take care of your sorry hide day in and out."

'You barely take care of me at all,' Harry thought to himself as he rinsed the plates off and set them over to dry.

Dudley stopped munching on steak long enough to ask, "Oooh, Dad, there's a new game that I want to get since the freak broke it! Maybe you can use part of the money on that?"

Vernon chuckled loudly as if a wonderful joke had been made. "Of course, Dudders. You've been doing better in school lately."

Harry rolled his eyes. Dudley had stopped getting failing marks but his grades were only a bit better than failing which was still terrible to any other parents' eyes. Dudley had run into the house the other day holding a quiz that had the grade of a 'D' and he had actually gotten rewarded for it. Harry never showed papers to his relatives anymore but he still maintained 'A' and 'B' grades even though it was quite hard for his home situation.

Vernon was giving Harry an unhealthy look as the boy put the dishes away. He could actually make money off the little freak and no one would be the wiser. Other parents and teachers at the Spring Recital had been very impressed with his level of skill and would probably love to have the boy play piano for them. Vernon could practically see the many pounds floating in front of him.

Harry turned around and saw the look his Uncle was giving him and began to back away from the sink. The man was probably still thinking about the money he would get from Harry's performances.



Harry could just sense where this was going. He honestly didn't want to get any money from his services playing piano. He just liked being out of the house away from his relatives and spending time with Madison and her grandfather. They actually cared about him and wanted him to be there.

Madison had actually asked Harry if he wanted to paid for accompanying her but Harry had just turned down the offer. He would probably get in trouble for that later but for now he would wait. He didn't want his uncle to get any of them money because he didn't deserve it at all.

* * *

**IF ANYONE CAN GIVE ME SUGGESTIONS ON VIOLIN MUSIC AT AN ELEMENTARY OR INTERMEDIATE LEVEL WITH PIANO THAT WOULD BE AMAZING! **

I know that this chapter was mostly a filler chapter but there really wasn't anything else for me to do with everything that was going on. I had to work 2 jobs this summer and practice, practice, PRACTICE! Ah, the life of a college student. Don't worry; I won't give up on this story. Actually, I only have 6 classes this semester, so I will have a bit more time to write. I'm looking for another job so tons of fun there, .


	8. Chapter 8

_The only way Harry could escape from his cruel "family" when he was a child was music but even that was taken away from him._

Music Sets Me Free

Chapter Eight

* * *

Cameron Ackhardt and his wife Kirsten watched Madison and Harry as they practiced in the Ackhardt's large music room. They shared a smile with one another as the music flowed over them. The two children were lost in their own world and no matter how many times they listened to them; the two adults couldn't believe how talented the individuals were.

The music pulled to a stop and Madison opened her eyes and immediately focused on Harry as he slowly brought his hands from the keys and turned to look at her. They smiled at each other and the latter of the two blushed lightly.

Madison turned to look at her mother and father who were standing in the doorway and said, triumphantly, "We're nearly ready for the competition! There are only a few things to tie up with my part, and then Harry wants to try to meet up with Mrs. Hendrixson to work out of some of the harder parts of the music."

Kirsten Ackhardt nodded and smiled down at Harry who was currently putting his piano music in a bag. Her hazel eyes observed how ill-fitting the boy's clothes were and the frayed ends on his large pants. As he turned to look up at her she frowned slightly at the tape holding the boy's crooked glasses together.

Madison had mentioned once or twice to her that Harry seemed a bit neglected by his relatives; for only being nearly eleven years old (1) Madison noticed very many details. With Harry standing in front of her, Kirsten could see firsthand what her daughter spoke of. At the Spring Recital, Harry had been wearing a nice dress shirt and pants, and that had been the first and only time she saw him, but now the rags on Harry's body couldn't be described as clothes at all.

Kirsten also noticed the way Harry favored his wrist. It had been a few weeks since the injury and it had surprisingly healed well considering he had only been to the doctor's once but with certain movements it was still tender. She wondered how the boy could even bear to play.

"Harry, is your wrist bothering you?"

A pair of bright green eyes met her hazel gaze and Harry turned the slightest of reds before shaking his head and replying, "I just sprained it the other day but it's feeling better now."

Kirsten glanced at her daughter for conformation and Madison had a frown on her face as she looked at her friend. Kirsten glanced over at Cameron as he moved closer to their daughter and put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. She giggled and gave her father a bright smile.

Harry watched the interaction with a sad look on his face. How many times had he wished for someone to give him a comforting hug and smile, to look at him like he meant the world to them? Madison was so lucky, in more ways than one but he wanted a stable family most of all. He observed Cameron's grey eyes watch his daughter in adoration and meet his wife's eyes over their daughter's head. The family just looked so content and loving that Harry could feel tears building and a lump grow in his throat. He turned away and made a show of 'organizing' his bag and shifting papers around as he tried to wipe the tears away.



Cameron watched the small raven-haired boy out of the corner of his eye and pulled back from his wife and daughter. He moved towards Harry and put a hand on the boys trembling shoulder. He nearly pulled away when Harry jerked in response and turned towards his with wide eyes.

"Hey, doing ok, Harry? Cheer up, you and Madison will be wonderful at the Music Festival. If I were a judge there, I would have already given you a scholarship."

Harry managed a shy smile and Madison laughed.

"I don't think it would be a scholarship if you gave it to us, Father."

Cameron ruffled Madison's hair again and she shoved his hands away.

"Well, it's the thought that counts, right?" he said with a boyish grin.

Kirsten smiled softly at her husband and then motioned the French windows looking over the garden. "Why don't you two head outside for a well-deserved break! It's lovely out and we'll call you later when we get ready to leave.

.

* * *

Madison and Harry walked in the back gardens. Harry smiled as the warm summer sun his hit his face and just stood still for a moment. He loved being outside when his aunt wasn't forcing him to slave away in her pitiful garden which was made even more significant by the lush greenery and rose blooming about him now. Harry felt that he could just stand there all day and listen to the sounds of gentle winds, birds and insects moving about him.

All of a sudden, Harry felt something crash into him and him and his assailant tumbled to the ground. Harry nearly panicked until he heard laughter above him and felt hair tickling his nose.

'Madison? W-What was that for?" Harry asked between giggles. Madison just laughed harder and let her fingers dance over Harry's sides in a tickle frenzy. Harry laughed until tears were in his eyes and then he managed to push Madison off of him so she was lying beside him.



The two preteens lay there side-by-side shielding their eyes against the sun and letting the warm breeze drift over them. Madison moved so she way laying on her side and brushed her slightly tangled hair out of her eyes. Her light brown gaze met Harry's green and the latter of the two blushed.

Madison quirked an eyebrow at the younger boy and laughed.

"Why the blush, Harry? Are you getting overheated? I can go grab some juice if you'd like."

"Oh no," Harry murmured as the blush intensified. "I'm fine."

Brown eyes continued to gaze at him and then traveled over the length of his body frowning at his clothes.

"My grandfather is a very fair man when it comes to his employees. I'm pretty sure Mr. Dursley makes a decently sized pay-check."

Harry gave her a confused look. He knew his clothes looked horrible.

"I'm sure with that money he could buy both boys in his care proper clothing. Dudley wears very nice gear and even though it might cost more due his large size I'm quite sure you'd be able to receive clothes that were just as nice…"

The girl let her sentence trail off and Harry's face was flushed with shame.

"Harry, I know they don't treat you properly; it's obvious to anyone with eyes. I do pray that your wrist being tender isn't a result of something they did you—"

Harry's face turned as red as a tomato and he shook his head. "No, I just tripped awhile ago and sprained it badly. My uncle took me to the doctor's too."

Madison narrowed her eyes and laid back down in the grass. She _knew_ they weren't treating him right and she wasn't the only one. Mrs. Hendrixson was rather protective of the boy and she had seen the extra snacks and sandwiches she had in her cupboard for him. She was sure other teachers noticed and she was angry no one could stand up the bully that was Mr. Vernon Dursley and the rest of that horrible family.

"Hopefully after this competition we'll get scholarships and you can get out of that blasted hell-hole!"

"Madison!!" Harry squeaked. "You can't say words like that!"

Madison giggled and turned towards Harry again. "I know, but still, wouldn't it be brilliant if we could go to a music academy? I know I'd love it and you'd be surrounded by people who share your love of music! You'd be far, far away from those Dursleys and we'd have so much fun!"

Harry listened as his friend continued to rave about the music festival and the schools. Even though the thought was amazing and he would give anything to go, he knew that his relatives would never let harry go to another school. The cost and the fact that Harry would be doing something special that his dim-witted cousin couldn't would annoy them even more.



"Even if I could go to the school, Maddy, there is no way my aunt and uncle would let me go. I couldn't afford it anyway—"

"If—no—_when _we get the awards I'll let you have my half. I want to be a part of it for the thrill of competing, not for money."

Harry smiled and sat up, hugging his knees to his chest.

"Thanks, but that wouldn't go over well either."

"Harry you can't just let them bully you all of the time. You have amazing potential and I especially don't want it to be wasted—"

"Madison! Harry! Would you like to get ice cream?"

Harry was truly grateful for the interruption and for the chance to get ice cream again. He hopped to his feet and grabbed Madison's hand and began to run towards the house.

Madison rolled her eyes and squeezed Harry's hand and leaned closer to whisper in his ear, "This conversation isn't over, Potter."

Harry laughed and whispered back, "It is until I get a huge bowl of ice cream, Ackhardt!"

When the two children got inside of the house, Kirsten was there holding out a pamphlet and some paperwork.

"Here you go Harry, look that over and have your uncle help you fill this part out. It's the registration for the competition."

Harry took the paper and read it to himself, 'Brocklehurst-Doubleday Memorial Music Scholarship.'(2)

He grabbed his back and put the papers in, eager to follow his friend and her parents as they went to get some 'absolutely brilliant!' ice cream.

* * *

"Draco, there is a music competition beginning in a two weeks time. It would do you some good to participate in it."

The posh blond sighed and turned around to face his mother with a exasperated expression. "But Mother, that means I have to work up another piece. I was just at a competition last month! Don't I get some sort of a break?"

Narcissa cuffed the back of the boys head and glared a signature Malfoy glare.

"You should be glad to be able to play; it gives you just that much more culture. You should be thankful we can afford instruments and not be like those lowly Weasleys who can barely afford robes for all of their children."

Draco couldn't help but smirk at that comment. It was true that they had enough money for instruments and Draco's was one of the finest Malfoy money and influence could buy.



Narcissa gave a sharp call of, "Dobby!" and the little house elf appeared in his customary Malfoy tea cloth and bowed, his long nose nearly touching the floor.

"You is calling Dobby, Mistress?"

"Yes, get the paperwork that's needed for the Instrumental Competition and bring it to me along with a quill," she said in a snappish voice."

The small elf nodded and disappeared with a sharp crack and then reappeared less than ten seconds later.

"Now Draco, you need to fill out this last bit and you need to choose a song. Maybe something new…I shall order new music this afternoon and have it rushed here by tomorrow!"

Draco's frown got even larger. "Mother, how can I prepare something in two weeks?"

Narcissa pushed the boy towards the steps leading to the music room. "Malfoys are capable of doing things in short amounts of time. Stop complaining and pull out some of your lesson books. I'll call your teacher here tomorrow so you can begin looking over the music."

Her voice got even more enthusiastic as she began to plan out the robes Draco would wear to the event ("The finest materials only families like _ours_ would be able to obtain! Oh, I can just imagine the looks and compliments we'll get!").

Draco trudged to the practice room shutting out his mother's voice as she told him to walk in a proper and dignified matter, not 'slouching like a common mudblood.' The next two weeks were going to close to unbearable, he could sense that much on his own.

"Mum, what is the competition even called?"

Narcissa turned from addressing Dobby and another house elf to toss over her shoulder, "Brocklehurst-Doubleday Memorial."

Draco nodded his head and smirked. It would be easy getting the scholarship. As much as he got annoyed with lessons and practicing he knew he was one of the most advanced young music players. He would definitely get the scholarship and get medals for excellence in every field of music performance, he just knew it.

* * *

I _just_ finished this chapter TWO DAYS after I updated which is the fastest I've EVER done. I waited til Sunday to post it but Chapter Nine is well on it's way!!

Ha-ha, I guess Harry and Madison will be meeting up Draco soon at the competition!

Madison's birthday is in February 1979 so she is a year and nearly six months older than Harry. Also, at the beginning of the story I wrote Harry was six. I now realize that age is very inconvenient and I didn't know how this story was going to work out. So now let's say Harry is going to turn ten in a month,

Brocklehurst-Doubleday: completely made that up….

**THANK YOU SO MUCH, ASH-DARKLIGHTER, MILKY ETOILE, AND EADON OF FIRE FOR YOU MUSIC SUGGESTIONS! AWESOME . I still have to figure out what I want Draco and Madison to play….**



Hope you enjoyed this chapter and soon I'll get back onto a better schedule with updates

Korogi-chan


	9. Chapter 9

Haha, I noticed that I had never put a disclaimer up for this story! Well, obviously I don't own the lovely Harry Potter series or any of its characters. Madison Ackhardt, her family and Harry's teachers are products of my own imagination. I do not own any of the music Madison, Harry or Draco play. There you go!! 

_The only way Harry could escape from his cruel "family" when he was a child was music but even that was taken away from him._

Music Sets Me Free

Chapter Nine

* * *

Harry pulled on his navy blue jumper over his dress shirt and pulled the collar out and folded it over. He brushed the few specks of lint off his coal-black trousers and made sure his shoes were nice and polished. He turned to the mirror and beamed at his reflection and danced around in a little circle. Kirsten and Madison had insisted they buy Harry a nice dress outfit for the competition despite his protests that he already has one ("No, Harry. You've already worn the green shirt and you need something new!"). He had to admit that he looked quite handsome and he lifted his brush in a futile attempt to flatten his flyaway hair.

Harry bounded down the stair and tuned out his aunt's shrieks about the amount of noise he was making. Today was going to be an amazing day and no one was going to ruin it for him.

He grabbed his satchel that contained his music folder, music, and scholarship pamphlet and rushed towards the front door. He was about to throw it open until his uncle grabbed him painfully by the shoulder and twisted him around in a sudden movement.

"You'd better not do anything to embarrass me, boy or they'll be hell to pay!" Vernon hissed. Harry winced from the pain and smell of his uncle's breath as was thankful when he was pushed away.

"Now get out of here and make sure you bring money back when you get done with this competition-thing, boy!"

Harry didn't waste any time moving away from his uncle and pulled the door open. Madison stood there with her hand outstretched as if to reach the knob and her father stood at the door with her, smiling.

"Good morning Mr. Dursley," the younger man said genially.

Madison grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him towards the car while her father and Mr. Dursley spoke. The door opened as they grew closer and Kirsten Ackhardt's and her father-in-law's smiling faces greeted the youngsters.

"Get in quickly; we made a reservation for breakfast at Asbury's!" (1)

Harry sat between Madison and Ackhardt Sr. and looked over the large breakfast menu. Everything looked so wonderful especially since he had missed having dinner the previous day. He glanced at the prices for the food and blanched slightly. He only had a bit of money on him and that wasn't enough to cover what he needed for this restaurant.

Madison nudged him in the side and whispered, "Don't worry about the cost; eat whatever you'd like!"

Harry ended up choosing eggs, bacon, and some baked beans with toast. He dug into his food but tried not to show how hungry he was. Madison's parents and grandfather stared at the boy while he ate. The adults had heard constantly from Madison that the boy wasn't cared for properly at home and that among other things, he didn't have a very good diet.

Madison chewed quietly on the sausage and observed Harry as he practically inhaled his food. She felt a slight lump rise in her throat as she wondered how long Harry had been without a meal. He was always too thin and he sometimes he was even to the point of looking sickly.

Harry noticed Madison's eyes on him and he flushed in shame. He slowed down and eventually set his utensils down, nervously fiddling with his napkin in his lap. Madison sighed and reached under the table to squeeze his hand. Harry gave her a smile and received one in return. He was glad that he had such a good friend.

The family ate while Madison and Harry talked about how excited they were for the competition. Harry loved being around this family; were all very kind to him and he wished that time he spend with them could never end.

* * *

Draco and his Mother walked into the large hall where the registration for the competition was being checked. He straightened his silver robes and looked around the large space. The floor was marble and there were a series of plaques laid out forming a pathway to the center of the room where a circle of light from a window shown on the elaborate fountain with what appeared to be the founders of the music society were portrayed.

He looked around at other students and noticed that not all of them wore robes like he did. Some wore Muggle clothing and Draco sneered at the sight.

"Mother, are Muggles part of this competition as well?"

His mother looked around with that expression that resembled someone with something unpleasant under their nose.

"It seems your teacher overlooked that one small detail, Draco. No matter, no doubt you'll have more talent than all of these children here combined."

Draco noticed that some of the Muggles were giving him and his mother odd looks. His silver robes with dark blue trim and his mother's sky blue robes were both made of material that caught the light and were obviously of high quality. Other Wizards were present too, but their robes were either a standard black or they were not so flashy.

"Mother, how can this even be allowed? Obviously we and other Wizards are drawing attention to ourselves here. I don't want to compete against Muggles anyway…"

"Hush Draco, either way you'll win some money and recognition for this. From what this pamphlet says, Brocklehurst was a wizard and his close friend Doubleday was a Muggleborn. They formed this music society so the two could mix…silly idea if you ask anyone with any bit of sense…"

Draco just sighed and moved through the line for the registration table, impatiently folding his arms over his chest. He glanced around at the different people around him and knew that if his father had been with them now, they would have left as soon as they walked in.

He looked at the line next to his were students 'A-D' were standing. His eyes fell onto a particular girl in an indigo dress with a violin case over her shoulder. Her hair was pulled back into a neat and mature style for her age, which Draco guessed was around his own. Her light brown eyes found his and she gave him a bright smile. Draco raised an eyebrow but offered a quirk of his lips and a slight nod in recognition.

Draco couldn't help to notice the quality of the girl's clothes and the way she held herself. For a Muggle she seemed to have decent breeding (2). He glanced towards the other people in the line and none of them captured his interest. His eyes returned to the brunette and she glanced his way at the same time. Her smile was amused and she moved towards him with a hand extended.

"Hello, my name is Madison Ackhardt."

Draco raised an eyebrow again in interest and took the offered hand. The corners of his mouth lifted into a wider smile.

"Draco Malfoy," he replied. "You play violin, I see…"

Madison nodded and pulled her hand away and gave Draco a once over. He was another one of the people she had noticed with odd clothes on and this boy's were the flashiest of all. The silver offset his slate colored eyes and the platinum blond of his hair, giving a regal and strangely angelic look.

"Yes, I'm playing Ave Maria by Schubert. It's one of my favorite pieces!"

Draco nodded with an air of dismissal. That had been one of the many piece that he could have played but it wasn't impressive enough.

"_I'm _playing Sonata VI Allegro by Handel."

The emphasis Draco put on 'I'm' wasn't lost on Madison. She narrowed her eyes slightly and smirked slightly. She could tell that this boy was well off and was full of himself. He could be a proficient player or not; it could go either way.

"Well, I hope your performance goes well today. We might even get to compete together for the scholarship."

Draco scoffed. "We shall see."

Madison resisted the urge to roll her eyes and glanced past the blond to see if Harry had gone through the line yet. She couldn't get a clear look so she stood up on her tiptoes. Draco gave her a look of distain as she continued to look and watched as a discouraged look passed over her face.

"Looking for someone?"

Madison nodded. "My piano accompanist and friend Harry. He's very, very talented. I tried to get him to compete too but he didn't want to."

Draco nodded and folded his arms over his chest. "Well then he must not be that good. Only the best should come and compete for the scholarship."

"The scholarship is not the only thing that is going on today. There are different workshops and areas that students can learn about music and improve their techniques. You should stop acting so full of yourself!"

Draco blanched as he looked at the Muggle girl. The audacity of her to suggest that he was full of himself! Draco meant what he said; only the best of the best should be here to compete. Draco decided then and there that he was going to beat the girl in front of him with the blazing brown eyes.

Madison gave Draco a cool look and moved back in line. She was the next person to check over her registration. She slowly began to calm herself down and focus on checking over her paperwork. She wasn't going to let some immature, snobby blond in odd clothes get to her like he did.

Draco smirked at the girl as she turned back to him and offered him another cool look.

"I hope you enjoy your day and wish you luck on your audition."

Madison frowned as Draco snorted while checking over his own paperwork. "You don't need to wish me luck; out of everyone here I'm one of the most advanced players."

Madison raised an eyebrow. "So, you're even better than the university aged students here as well? Ours is not the only age group you know."

A roll of silver-blue eyes met her comment. "I meant in our age group of course."

Madison sighed and then turned to her father as she felt a warm hand land on her shoulder. She gave him a bright smile he squeezed her shoulders with his arm.

"Are you all set, Maddy?"

"Yes father," she replied then gestured to Draco. "This is Draco Malfoy; he is going to play Handel's Sixth Sonata."

Cameron Ackhardt smiled genially in the blonde's direction. He took in the odd but finely made robes and the slightly snobbish look on the boy's face. He looked like the sort who expected everything to be handed to him and received it.

Draco turned and saw his mother standing next to him, her cold eyes glancing at Madison and then at her parents.

"Come Draco, you have a workshop to attend and then you will have your audition half past two."

"Wow, what a lovely bunch. Seem quite social don't they?" Ackhardt Sr. murmured.

"Ugh, he was so annoying and snobby! He was looking down at everyone here and he insulted Harry without him being here to defend himself!"

Kirsten rubbed her daughter's back and saw Harry moving to them out of the corner of her eye. She smiled when Harry's bright eyes met her daughter's and Madison sighed and walked over to Harry and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Ugh, I just met one of most annoying people you're ever apt to meet."

Harry rose an eyebrow and bent his head towards Madison's. "Who was it?"

"A very snobbish blond who was rude enough to declare that he was one of the most advanced players here and he's probably only a few months older than me. He was wearing really odd clothes too, some sort of silver robes. There are other people dressed like that too but his and his mother's were the flashiest.

"I can't believe how rude he was!" Madison groused again, lifting her head from Harry's shoulder and turning to face him properly. "I hope I don't see him for the rest of the day!"

Harry giggled and her parents laughed. Ackhardt senior pulled his agitated granddaughter towards him and gave her a hug.

"Just focus on yourself and Harry today and have fun. Don't let someone else ruin you day, alright?"

Madison flushed in shame and smiled at her grandfather. "I know that I'm being petulant, Grandfather…"

Harry couldn't help but snicker at Madison who gave him a mock glare. Madison was so polite that one could hardly imagine the girl being petulant.

Madison grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him into the workshop corridor. She pushed him towards the Piano rooms and she pointed towards the String room where she would be.

"Afterwards we'll meet back up for lunch, ok?"

Draco and Madison were consequently in the same workshops since they were the same age and played the same instrument. Madison tried to ignore the immature wizard as much as she could and Draco went out of his way to torment her. He knew he was lowering himself to bother even thinking about a Muggle girl but he liked trying to get on her nerves.

Madison pushed past Draco as she left the lecture hall and pulled her gig bag over her shoulder. She raked a hand through her hair in frustration and increased the pace of her stride to move towards the Piano room. Harry was just making his way out and she reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling the startled boy along.

"Madison, what's wrong?" Harry yelped as he was dragged down the hall. "You're acting like there's a fire on your heels!"

"I'm trying to get away from that dreadful boy; the one I told you about this morning who keeps following me!" She gave a glance over her shoulder and winced when her eyes met cold silver.

Harry frowned and looked over his shoulder and saw a blonde walking calmly in their direction, his odd silver robes billowing with each step. Harry guessed that he was around his own age and winced slightly when the boy increased his pace to catch up with them.

"You there! You must be her piano accompanist Madison raves about so." Draco cut in front of the two friends and they stopped abruptly lest they run into the wall and Draco.

Draco assessed the boy in front of him and noticed there was something vaguely familiar about him. The black mop on his head looked very familiar somehow and his bright green eyes were as bright as the richest emerald.

The blond wizard held out his hand to Harry and said proudly, "My name is Draco Malfoy. I don't believe I caught you name…"

Harry blushed slightly and adjusted his bag so he could attempt to hold out his hand. Madison held up a hand and moved between the two boys.

"If you could excuse us, _Draco_, Harry and I are going to lunch as our performance is only an hour and forty minutes away. We'll see you later!"

Draco's eyes widened even as Madison walked away with Harry in tow. He stared after the dark haired boy as bright green eyes looked over a retreating shoulder back at him. Draco's eyes quickly moved to boy's forehead but pale skin was obscured by messy black locks.

'There's no way that boy could be Harry Potter… but who else could he be? Those eyes and that hair—'

"Draco, what are you doing just standing here in this hall? I've been looking for you for the past five minutes! Come along, I found some people I'd like you to meet—"

Draco blocked out the rest of what his mother was saying even as the two walked out of the music hall out into the bright summer sunshine.

Madison took out her violin and began to tune the strings. She glanced at Harry as he sat down on the piano bench and placed his music on the upright. The two friends were in a practice room and Madison had about twenty minutes until she had to play.

"I'm so excited to play! I really wished that you had signed up to play something, Harry! You would have been brilliant and you could have finally gotten out of your relatives' house and gone to the same school as me!"

Harry sighed and ran his fingers gently over the keys in some warm up scales. He let his mind drift as the music, no matter how simple drifted over him. He closed his eyes and smiled softly as the scales faded into another song, more technical and expressive than before.

Madison watched him with a bittersweet smile on her face. She wished that music had come so easily to her but she was so glad for her friend. She could tell by the blissful smile on his face that he truly loved music and if he had more training and classes he could become the next great musician.

Madison went back to tuning her instrument and began to run through scales of her own. She completed them and then began to play some of the beginning lines of her solo, pausing every once a while to retune a string slightly. Meanwhile, Harry stopped playing and then glanced over his shoulder at her and Madison nodded. He began to play the intro to her solo and Madison came in at the appropriate time.

After they were done warming up, Madison gently placed her instrument on the piano and bent down to give Harry a hug. He smiled and leaned back.

"We're going to do great, and I'm sure you're going to get the scholarship."

Madison pulled away and put her case and music back in her bag. "I wish I had entered you behind your back," she laughed, ruffling his hair.

The two turned off the light to the small practice room and made their way out into the hallway. Madison's family stood there with kind smiles on their faces and Harry watched solemnly as they all hugged the girl. He squashed down the feeling in his stomach he always got when others were held and treated so kindly.

Cameron pulled away from Madison and reached towards Harry with a smile. "Well, don't just stand there; come get a hug!"

Harry blushed and allowed himself to be pulled into the strong arms of Cameron Ackhardt. He sighed softly, wishing for the umpteenth time that he could have his own father hug him like that. Harry was released and his hair ruffled before Kirsten enveloped him in a hug as well.

"You two are going to do fine!"

Harry moved towards the recital hall doors and listened. He heard violin playing and glanced at the schedule sheet. It appeared that Draco was playing then and Harry listened closely. Even through the thick doors Harry could hear that the boy was a proficient player. His tone was a bit more mature than Madison's but the two could definitely compete against the other.

After a bit, the music stopped and clapping could be heard along with the hushed tones of the judges giving Draco critique. Harry could imagine the look on the boy's face, most likely bored and superior.

Madison glanced at the sheet and whispered, "I hope they knock him on his arse!"

Harry shoved her and rolled his eyes. "Come on, Maddy; he's not that bad. Don't worry about him anyway, we're going to do great."

Soon after, the doors swung open and Draco exited with a smirk on his face and his eyes immediately met Harry's. His smirk lost its power slightly and he gave the other boy an intrigued look.

"You need to wait about three minutes until you go in so they can finish judging," he said focusing entirely on Harry and ignoring Madison. "Good luck," he murmured, nodding at Harry.

Draco's mother nodded at Madison and then let her eyes rest on Harry. Her cold eyes took in his appearance and then she looked away, walking with her son down the hall.

Madison grumbled and her grandfather nudged her arm with a warning look. Madison relented and then rested casually on the doorframe. Harry sighed and watched Draco pause and then move back to the door.

"I've decided that I'm going to listen to you play!"

Harry made his way to the piano and sat down on the seat. As he suspected, he would have to readjust it to fit his shorter height.

Madison tuned once more to the "A" and then spent a short time retuning her strings. She turned her gaze back to the judges sitting three rows away and then glanced at her family. Draco sat close to the middle of the hall and some other onlookers who were there for the sake on enjoying music sat sparingly in other seats.

"Hello, could you tell us your name and what you'll be playing today?" one of the judges asked.

"Madison smiled and nodded. "My name is Madison Ackhardt and I will be playing 'Ave Maria' by Schubert."

The same judge looked to Harry who was situating his music on the piano. He looked so small as he sat at the grand piano, stretching to reach the pedals.

"Who might your accompanist be?"

Harry started and then stood up from his seat. "My name is Harry Potter, ma'am," he murmured in a soft voice.

The judge smiled at the boy's hushed voice while noticing a barely audible gasp a few rows behind her. "How old are you?"

"I'm going to be ten in two weeks." He announced proudly. That earned him some laughter and smiles from the judges and audience.

"My, and you're playing piano for your friend Madison? That's quite advanced for an almost ten-year-old."

Harry blushed and sat back down on the bench.

"I'm very excited to hear you play."

Harry took in a deep breath and glanced towards Madison who was watching him. She gave him a soft smile and nodded. Harry began the first lines of the piece and Madison came in accordingly. The beautiful melody from Schubert's aria floated through the hall and the audience enjoyed the music coming from the talented individuals.

When the two finished, applause rang through the hall and there were many people standing. Madison's father whistled and Madison laughed and Harry smiled brightly as he stood from his seat.

"Wow, Madison, you have a very mature technique and rich tone quality. You're have nice intonation which is difficult to achieve in your first few years in playing but I'm sure you have a teacher to hel you with that as well.

"One thing I would like to say is that you should put in a bit more of a crescendo in measure '24'. It adds a bit more to the phrase and make sure you watch your tempo. You sped up a little bit too much."

The other judges went through critiquing Madison and then finally the first judge who spoke looked at Harry.

"Harry, did you sign up for a performance time today?"

"No, I didn't."

"Well, you did a very nice job playing. I'm pleased with your ability to listen to the soloist and follow her motions as the song went by. You played quite expressively and backed off when there were more moving phrases in the violin's part."

Harry smiled brightly and blushed.

"How long have you been playing?"

Harry's frowned slightly in thought. "Nearly a year and a half I'd like to think…"

Gasps and murmurs went through the crowd and looks of disbelief went to the skinny boy with messy black hair. He smiled shyly and focused his attention on the judge.

"Simply amazing! You're quite talented."

She clapped her hands together. "I think I'm going to bend the rules a bit… I'd like you play something, anything you'd like."

Harry sat back down on the bench and scrunched up his face in thought. Madison murmured, "Play the song you played in the practice room!"

Harry smiled and let his fingers rest on the keys. He wasn't sure what the song was called but he had heard Mrs. Hendrixson play it a long time ago and it had been one of his favorites.

As he lets his fingers dance over the keys the judges watched him in awe. This was what the Brocklehust-Doubleday Music Society lived for, finding talented young people such as him and helping them get to the next level of success. If the emerald eyed boy kept going, the sky could be the limit for him!

The song ended and everyone clapped again.

"I think I'll look over your registration information again and sign you up for that scholarship, Harry. You have much talent that shouldn't be overlooked!"

Harry blushed and Madison gave him a huge hug. They both bowed to the judges and the clapping grew louder as she exited the stage.

On their way out they bumped into Draco Malfoy. Madison smiled slightly at him and he nodded back.

"You alright, for a M—I mean girl," the boy stuttered a bit.

"A girl? What a silly thing to say! Girls can play just as well if not better than boys!"

Draco tuned her out and focused on Harry who was being crowded with people trying to ask him about himself. Draco actually strode into the circle and grabbed the boy's wrist. Harry squawked in protest as he was dragged away.

"Hey, what are you trying to pull?"

Draco smirked at the Muggle expression and turned to look at the boy fully.

"So you're Harry Potter? Never thought I'd see you here at a Muggle music convention. You played piano for one two, surprisingly enough."

Harry stepped back. Muggles? That sounded like some sort of insult to Madison and other people there.

"What are you talked about and why are you talking about me like you know me? Yes, I'm Harry Potter but I don't see how that is a big deal."

Draco stared at him with disbelief. "What do you mean? You're Harry Potter, one of the most famous people who has ever existed! Your name is written down in history books all over the Wizarding World!"

Harry blanched and glanced around noticing the blond was making a scene with all of his yelling. And what was the boy talking about? Wizards? Famous, him? There must have been something wrong with the boy, maybe he had eaten some bad pudding at the luncheon.

When the confused boy voice his opinion, Draco scoffed. "That's _rich_, Potter. Anyway, why are you acting like you don't know what I'm talking about?"

"You sound like a loon! Can't you hear yourself? Wizards and me being famous? For one, wizards don't exist because magic isn't real." Harry knew that for a fact because his aunt and uncle drilled it into his head. He nearly stumbled on the word magic because every time he nearly said if he would receive a nasty cuff on the head.

Draco was staring at Harry as if he had three heads.

"What do you mean magic isn't real? How can you not know about it, you're _Harry bloody Potter_ for Merlin's sakes?"

Now Harry knew the boy was mad, cursing by some old made up magic person and suggesting he was famous.

"Ok, I've had enough. You're making me hold up my friend and I need to leave soon. I hope you get over your food poisoning."

With that Harry sprinted down the hallway ignoring Draco's yell of protest. He kept running past the people who turned and asked him what was wrong and even past Madison and her family who were waiting in the lobby.

"Harry? Harry! What's wrong?" Madison jogged to catch up with him. Harry stopped and turned around a near crazed look in his eyes. Madison took in his troubled appearance and labored breath.

"Draco…was…bothering me….calling you names…saying weird…things…" Harry sputtered.

Kirsten rushed over while Cameron and Ackhardt Sr. waited a few metres away. She put a steadying hand on his shoulder and watched him as he tried to catch his breath.

"Are you alright? You were running out of the corridor like someone was trying to catch you."

Harry just shook his head and glanced over at the doors to the music corridor to make sure Draco wasn't following him. He saw the blond standing at the doors watching him with an annoyed frown.

"C-can we please leave now? I mean, are we done for today?"

The Ackhardts watched Harry a confused air about them. Madison nodded and moved a bit closer to Harry as if she were afraid he was going to lash out at her.

"We can leave anytime after we perform. We'll both get letters in the mail later about whether or not we get the scholarship and it will be in the paper soon enough."

Harry nodded and took a few calming breaths so he could calm down. He shifted his bag higher on his shoulder as if he was trying to use it block an attack on his person. Ackhardt Sr. sighed and reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder and then gently steer him towards the front doors.

"Come along, we can find a nice restaurant for dinner or maybe go see one of the shows in the park. You two did a wonderful job today and you deserve a break and reward."

Harry let himself be lead outside and they all walked across the street to the reserved parking lot. Harry felt Madison's unnerving gaze on him as they got into the car. Harry moved over so he could sit by the window.

Draco went outside and watched as Harry Potter climbed into the sleek, black Muggle car and watched the car pull out into the street and drive away,

'Wait until Mother and Father hear about this. Harry Potter not knowing about the Wizarding World? Bloody unbelievable.

* * *

I put up some of my pictures from this story on Deviantart! I have a picture I drew a couple of years ago and a couple of pictures of Madison and Harry together. They're around 16/17 in the picture so I jumped ahead a little. It's one of the first pictures I ever made of them… I hope you enjoy them. I need to make some of Draco and Harry soon!

OMG! If anyone remembers a Tom Riddle/Harry Potter fanfic that was called Serendipity and had a sequel that I believe started with an 'M' could you PLEASE tell me where it is and give me a link. The story in a nutshell was like Tom was sent to Harry's time and ended up finding out that Harry had been abused/raped by his uncle and Snape ends up being Harry's mentor and then towards the end Tom has to go back to his own time but he's changed so Harry's 'present/future' end up being totally different with his parents being alive and whatnot. If anyone can tell what I meant in my rambling description and give me a link to that story I would be very happy!

1)Asbury's: I made that up….

2)Draco is very cynical for a ten year old!

3)There are multiple scholarships available.

Wow, that's the longest A.N I've written in awhile… Please review! The 200th reviewer gets a Draco plushie and a cookie!! LOL, THANKS!


	10. Chapter 10

Haha, I noticed that I had never put a disclaimer up for this story! Well, obviously I don't own the lovely Harry Potter series or any of its characters. Madison Ackhardt, her family and Harry's teachers are products of my own imagination. I do not own any of the music Madison, Harry or Draco play. There you go!! 

_The only way Harry could escape from his cruel "family" when he was a child was music but even that was taken away from him._

Music Sets Me Free

Chapter Ten

Draco watched as the car drove away and stared down the street even after the car disappeared from view. Other people were brushing past him but his thoughts were buzzing so much that he couldn't think.

'What the hell was up with Potter? He sad magic isn't real? I don't know what is wrong with him…'

He turned around and walked back to the building.

"So Mother, guess who I met today?" Draco said with a smirk.

Narcissa gave her son a glance as they left the building and walked down a few blocks to a concealed wizarding building so they could use the _floo_ to return to their manor. "Who?"

"Harry Potter and apparently he thinks that magic doesn't exist. He was pretty adamant about it and had some sort of panic attack and ran away from me."

She gave him a sharp glance. "How could I have not seen him? Was he one of the performers this afternoon?"

Draco nodded, "Yes, he played piano with his friend Madison Ackhardt. He accompanied her with her piece. I listened to them while they played and he was asked to play a song after Ackhardt's piece was finished. He is quite talented actually, I was impressed. He could probably trump my accompanist…"

Narcissa half-listened to what her son was saying as she thought of what her husband would say about the fact that Harry Potter was here, out in the open. She had seen no wizards that would have gone to protect him had someone wanted to harm the boy.

"Doesn't the boy live with some Muggles? Did you see anyone here for him?"

Draco shrugged in a very un-Malfoyish manner. "No I didn't but I wasn't really looking that close either..."

Narcissa nodded slightly and reached out and pressed her hand against her son's back, moving him along through crowds of people.

"We can't do anything about it now. We need to get back to our manor. You shouldn't concern yourself about him."

"But, Mother it was _Harry Potter_!" Draco said with a petulant whine.

Narcissa just sighed and continued to walk with her son. She would tell Lucius about what she had seen later.

The ride to the restaurant was a bit strained. Harry just leaned his head against the window and watched the scenery go by not saying a word. Madison kept trying to engage him in some form of conversation but he just mumbled or ignored what she said.

Harry couldn't get the words thoughts buzzing through his head quiet. Draco saying that he was a wizard and claiming magic existed was so odd he didn't know what to think. Of course there was no way what the blond was saying could be real his relatives made sure he knew that.

'That _would _explain some things,' the traitorous part of his mind murmured. Harry winced and Madison gave him a look. 'Remember when you somehow got to the roof last school year and your hair grew back the next morning after your aunt cut it?'

Harry shook his head. 'That's impossible; there is no such thing as magic. Vernon and Petunia tell me that all of the time almost to the point of being obsessive—'

'That's the point!' that voice intoned. 'To the point of being obsessive…'

Harry stayed lost in thought during the rest of the car ride and through dinner. Madison's family tried to engage him in conversation but he didn't respond with more than nods or a sentence or too. He barely ate even though he tried to tell himself to as it could be one of his last good meals in awhile…

Madison reached up and knocked on the door to Harry's relative's home. She stepped back and looked at Harry. He had an anxious look on his face as if he might be sick. She grabbed onto his hand and gave it a squeeze.

The door opened and Petunia stared down at the two children, raising an eyebrow at their clasped hands. She gave Harry a disgusted look as he stood with Madison.

"Well then, get in boy! You've had your fun today; now get inside before you let in all the insects and things!"

Harry gave Madison one last smile and thanked her family before he was swept into the house. Madison tried to call out to him but the door was slammed promptly in her face. (1)

Madison stood at the door and turned around, walking slowly towards her parents.

"I hope he isn't treated horribly by them, Daddy…"

Cameron pulled his daughter into a hug. "I hope so as well.

Nothing exciting happened in the next few days. Harry kept working in the hot garden and avoiding Piers and Dudley, not being fed as many meals he needed and hoping he would get his scholarship letter soon.

Harry couldn't help but be wary of how his uncle would react if Harry I _did _get the money. Madison had speculated that his family would take the money and use it for something other than what it was meant to be used for. The scholarship could be used for music related purposes only but Vernon would try to find a loophole.

Harry paused in sweeping the floor and shook his head to clear it from his thoughts. He knelt and grabbed the smaller broom to sweep the dirt into the dustpan, wincing as he saw the muddy shoeprints Dudley had made earlier that Petunia had screeched at him to clean up. He grabbed the bucket and poured some cleaning fluid and water into it.

Petunia walked into the house and frowned at Harry as he cleaned up the floor. He was scrubbing it diligently and cleaning up the mud Dudley had tracked through the house. She set the large pile of mail down on the counter and glanced back at the door as her husband and child came in through the door.

Vernon and Dudley came in through the door carrying the rest of the groceries and watched as Petunia filed through the mail. She pulled out a letter that had Harry's name on it.

"Vernon, something has come for Harry; I think it's from that music society he went to a few weeks ago…"

Vernon went to his wife and plucked the letter from her bony hands. Harry had poked his head into the room and bravely ventured in to see what the paper said. He hoped that it was good news. Dudley gave him a sneer and looked up at his father, hoping that the letter contained bad news that meant something bad happening to his cousin.

"Well, boy it looks like you did something good for once. You won a scholarship at that music shindig you had a few weeks ago."

Harry's eyes lit up and in his happiness, he foolishly reached out for the envelope. A swift slap to the back of his head startled him. He let out a whimper of pain and Dudley laughed at him.

Vernon sneered at the boy and ripped the envelope open. He pulled out the letter and then scoured the rest of the package for a check of some kind. He saw nothing other than the letter and frowned angrily. He looked at the letter again and began to read it aloud.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_Congratulations! You are one of the talented musicians to receive a Brocklehurst-Doubleday Music Scholarship! You were one of the many students entered under the "Keyboard/Performance" category._

_As requested you reward money was sent to another account to be saved for your schooling. Enclosed is a check stub with the amount rewarded._

_There shall be a concert for the students who received a scholarship and it will be on August 28__th__, one week before school. The rehearsal dates will be August 15__th__ and August 26__th__ and 27__th__. The times will come in the mail for each rehearsal and the actual performance. All winners may pick a new piece to play or play what they did for the scholarship._

_We offer congratulations to you again and hope that you have many more years with our music program. _

_Thank you,_

_Cecilia York-Doubleday and Joseph Brocklehurst_

Vernon whipped around and grabbed Harry by the collar of his over sized t-shirt. The small boy sputtered in fear and in response to having a large part of his air cut off.

"What you do you mean the money was sent to another account!? You trying to keep money from us boy? Money I deserve for taking care of your sorry arse for all these years!?"

Harry struggled to breathe as the tight grip his uncle had was hurting his throat. "I'm sorry Uncle Vernon! Madison mentioned something to me about arranging the money to be put in a different account for me to go to the same school as her in a year! It's not my fault!"

"Like hell it is!" the purple-faced man roared. "Why would you let them take MY money? They have enough as it is! I may work for that little spoiled brat's grandfather but that is no excuse for them to take the money Petunia and I deserve for taking care of you! If you got to go that fancy school that you like then that would cost us ever more money!"

He let go of Harry's abused garment and he fell to the floor in a heap. He winced and looked down at the floor as his uncle continued to shout above his head.

"You don't deserve to go to a special school while my own son has to go to a regular one. You're just trying to show off something you should have never learned in the first place!"

Harry's eyes filled with tears and he swallowed thickly to keep them at bay. He began to shake and everything his uncle said from that point on flew over his head. It was as if the ocean was rushing through his ears and he began to hyperventilate slightly.

"…your parents were worthless and you don't have a right to try to be anything more than they can be. The whole lot of you were worthless freaks and you're the worst of all!"

That was the final straw. Harry scrambled to his feet and made a wild dash for the front door, ignoring the angry cries from his uncle and laughter of Dudley. He got outside and then moved to slam the door but his uncle grabbed the doorknob and tried to yank it open.

'NO!' Harry thought fiercely and he felt a strange jolt shoot down his arm and to his hand. Vernon let out a horrible yell of pain and pulled his hand back. Harry could see even through the window that Vernon had blisters on his hand as if he had been burned.

The two stared at each other until Harry found control of his legs and began to run towards the driveway. His uncles enraged bellowing followed him down the street. He was blind to the people pulling their blinds back to see what all of the commotion was.

Harry kept running and running, ignoring the combined heat from his flight and the hot humid summer day. He paid no attention to the rumble of thunder in the sky or the rain beginning to fall. The cool liquid splashed against his heated flesh and ran into his eyes. He wiped it away but kept running until he came in sight of the park. Others were trying to find shelter from the rain and ran in different directions but he didn't stop until he crashed into a bench that was resting under a tree. He clambered onto it and pulled his knees to his chest and began to sob. The thunder rumbled above him but he didn't care.

Harry sat on the park bench and stared unseeing into the sunset. The people who had been there before the storm had long since left and he was one of the only few people there. His clothes were still wet and he felt miserable. His throat was beginning to feel slightly sore and his nose was a bit runny.

He scrubbed dried tear tracks away from his face and pulled his knees closer to his chest and put his aching head into his arms. He began to cry again and shook with silent sobs and he wished that he could just disappear.

Harry shivered as the evening cooled down further. His torn t-shirt and frayed shorts we're going to protect him from the cool air and it looked like some more rain clouds were moving back in.

'I don't want to go back there. Uncle Vernon will kill me because he thinks I'm _hiding _the money from him, but I'm not! Madison's family is holding it for me for the very purpose of keeping it from Vernon!'

Harry curled himself into a smaller ball and snuffled as he tried to hold back more tears. As he sat there a soft 'meow' rose to his ears. He looked down and saw a tabby cat sitting in front of him. As he gazed upon the creature, Harry couldn't help but think that its eyes held a very intelligent air about them. Somehow the cat didn't seem normal.

"I'm sorry did I disturb you?" Harry murmured as he uncurled from his ball and reached out for the animal. The cat stretched towards his hand and he petted it gently, smiling as contented purrs rose to his ears.

"You're a nice kitty," he whispered as she cat rubbed its back along his hand. He laughed when his visitor leapt onto the bench and pressed a paw against his leg. Harry shivered slightly as he looked into the cat's eyes. They were piercing and it was making him feel as if someone could see straight through him.

He sat that way, alternating between petting the cat and shivering in the cool evening air until and hand placed itself on his shoulder.

"Harry!?"

Harry jumped and looked up into the confused blue eyes of Mrs. Hendrixson. Her faded golden hair wasn't pulled back in its normal chignon but was hanging down her back. She reached to take Harry's chin in her hand and frowned at the clammy feel of his skin.

"Why are you sitting here all alone?" She pulled back and took in his rumpled appearance and her frown grew deeper. The boy's clothes were wet and in a disarray and he had signs of dried tear tracks on his face.

Mrs. Hendrixson pulled off her light jacket and put it over the boy's shoulders and coaxed him away from the bench. Harry turned around to pet the cat one last time but found that it had disappeared from sight.

'That's so odd,' he thought as he teacher fussed about him in an attempt to dry him off and warm him up at the same time.

"I'm taking you home with me. I think your relatives had something to do with this am I right?" Harry nodded slowly and stared ahead unseeing as his piano teacher led them to her car. "You need a bath, change of clothes and some food."

Mrs. Hendrixson didn't like the way her young student was acting with his vacant stare and skittish movements. He climbed into the back seat and pulled on his seat belt without a sound and turned his face to look out the window.

Finally the car arrived at Mrs. Hendrixson home, a two story cottage with lovely gardens in the front. She pulled in next to another car and stopped. She got out of the car and moved to Harry's door and gently pulled him from the car and put an air around him

"Come along, Harry. I'll run you a bath and pull out one of my grandson's old outfits for you to wear."

She gently took Harry's hand in her own and pulled him to the bathroom. She gently pushed him towards the tub and handed him a warm towel.

"I'll check on you in about fifteen minutes, dear. Just relax and I'll make you something to eat…"

Harry gave her a weak smile and then Mrs. Hendrixson moved out of the bathroom. She shut the door and then rested her back against it and put her head into her hands.

'I know that his foul relatives had something to do with this. I have to let someone know about this.'

She walked towards the stairs and went down then slowly. She picked up a picture of her grandchildren and smiled sadly. She could never imagine what Harry went through and could never imagine doing that to his own children or grandchildren. She and her husband had provided everything they could for their children and their supported and given them all of the love that children needed to thrive and be happy.

Mrs. Hendrixson moved into the kitchen and proceeded to make some homemade chicken soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. She chopped the chicken and put it into the crock pot and chopped up the carrots and other vegetables and put them in. As she worked she heard the water being drained from the tub and Harry's soft footsteps above.

Harry toweled his hair dry and then put on the dry clothes his teacher had left him. They were a little bit too large for him but they were not worn and dirty or filled with holes. Nothing could be worse than the terrible hand me downs from his cousin. He could smell something cooking and his empty stomach made itself known.

Harry made his way down the steps and watched Mrs. Hendrixson check the soup again and stir it.

"Harry, could you pull some cheese out of the fridge please?"

Harry complied silently, the odd fog still around him as he went to the fridge and got out the necessary food. He put it on the counter and then backed away.

"Harry, could you please tell me why I found you out on the bench, soaking wet and by yourself? Were your relatives cruel to you?"

"My uncle was not very happy that I told my friend to set aside the money I got from my music scholarship in an account just for me. He was going to use the money for himself."

"Why would he do something like that? That money is meant for you to use for schooling, or at least growing musically." The older woman reached out and gently rubbed his back. She frowned when the small boy flinched before relaxing under the warm hand.

"I'm very, very proud of you for winning the scholarship! I heard that you didn't even apply for the competition but they made an exception for you. Well done. I'm very excited that you've come this far with your music."

Harry's face lit up with a smile. "Thanks," he offered with a shy smile.

Mrs. Hendrixson moved to the Crockpot and stirred the soup. "It should be finished within the hour, dear. Now let's see where you can sleep tonight."

"Oh no, I can't stay here! My uncle will be even angrier when I go back!" Harry cried.

"Harry, there is no way that I'm going to let you go back to that house tonight. Your uncle is an abusive, destructive person and while he is angry now at least tonight he might have some time to cool down with you not being there.

"I know that your family hasn't been treating you the way you should be treated. You come to school disheveled and sometimes with injuries. You're quite skittish and you don't seem to have any friends. I heard that your cousin Dudley scares away children who might try to be friends with you, is that true?"

Ashamed emerald eyes met her gaze and her frown deepened.

"No child deserves to be treated like that, no matter what they do. You're one of the sweetest children I have ever known and any person would be lucky to have you as a child. You're relatives are some of the most selfish people I have ever known and I'm not the only one to say so. Your teachers have talked about how vile they are and cruel."

Mrs. Hendrixson broke off and watched Harry. He had a pained look on his face and seemed ready to start crying again. She bent down and hugged him gently and sighed when he stiffened before relaxing into her embrace. She rubbed calming circles in his tense back and he sighed and wrapped cautious arms around her in response.

The two of them stayed in that comforting position for a few moments until the lid on the Crockpot began to rattle. The kind piano teacher moved away from her student and moved to the stove and stirred the wonderful smelling soup.

"I believe it's nearly done. Would you like some grilled cheese as well, Harry?"

Harry's empty stomach made itself known and he smiled and nodded sheepishly. Mrs. Hendrixson's kind eyes smiled at him and she moved the cheese and bread closer to her and then began to put the sandwiches together.

"It will take five minutes or so. You make take a look around the house if you'd like. The music studio is on the other end on the house, but I'll show you that later."

Harry's eyes lit up at the sound of that. 'A music studio?' he mused to himself. He liked the piano room at Madison's home, with the huge windows and light cream walls and soft carpet. The room had many books and the piano was one of the best he had ever played.

He slowly wandered into the front sitting room and looked around at the pictures sitting on the tables. Mrs. Hendrixson stood next to a kindly looking middle aged man. He had his arm around her and they were both smiling in the picture. 'This must be her husband,' Harry thought silently.

The room was filled with pictures all around him with Mrs. Hendrixson's family. They looked loving and happy like a family should. He saw pictures of what looked to be her sisters and brother and mother and father. Over the fireplace there was a large picture of her and her husband in a lovely wedding picture. Their faces glowed as they looked at each other. Next to those pictures were pictures of her children when they were babies.

Harry's eyes began to tear up and he put his hand to his face to keep the gasping sobs at bay. His vision blurred and he swayed slightly on his feet.

'Why, why, WHY!?' Harry raged in his head. 'What did I do to deserve having such terrible relatives? Why do they hate me so much? Why did my parents have to leave me!?'

"Harry, dear, the soup is ready. Would you like cheddar cheese or pro—"

She trailed off as she saw Harry's trembling body and his stifled sobs. She rushed over and knelt in from of him and gently pulled his hands away from his face. She brushed his messy black hair from his eyes and gently brushed the tears away from his face.

"Harry? Harry! What's wrong!?"

The frail boy kept crying and wrapped his arms around his piano teacher and sobbed.

"I don't understand! Why can't my relatives love me? I always tried to do what other children do to get loved and attention; I do my homework, I get good marks at school and I do everything they tell me to do! Every time I do something Dudley can't do which is practically everything, they hate me. Other children would get praise for winning a scholarship of any award but they yell at me and tell me they're going to take my money!

"Nearly every child I see with their parents gets hugs and smiles and is treated kindly! When I'm with Madison half the time I'm jealous of her because of how her family treats her. Her parents dote on her and give her praise when it's due and her grandfather is the same. I hate standing off to the side and watching them interact because I want to see myself with _my _Mum and Dad. I wish they were there in the audience watching me when I played at the music workshop or took me out to ice cream when I got good marks on a test!"

Mrs. Hendrixson stared down at the boy amazed at the bitter tirade that rushed from his. That was the most she had ever heard from him at one time. He was shaking after his outburst and red faced. He looked as if he were going to collapse at any moment.

She gently reached out and held him close and he sobbed quietly into her neck. She cradled his head in her hand and rocked them back and forth as he continued to whimper, "Why did my parents leave me," or "Why can't my relatives love me like they love Dudley?"

She pulled back and squeezed Harry harder. "Just because they treat your cousin 'better' than you doesn't meant they love him, dear. Your cousin is a very violent and destructive boy, he has no discipline and when he gets out into the world he will be met with the harshness of reality. No one will want to deal with his rotten attitude and when he cries for help his mummy and daddy won't be able to do a thing for him.

"Also, if they truly loved him would they feed him in such a poor fashion? He is dangerously overweight, Harry and if he keeps that up he will have major health issues before he is even 18. Your aunt and uncle might treat Dudley in a way that looks better but it's hurting him in the long run."

Harry pulled away and looked into his teacher's eyes. The sadness in the luminous emerald eyes took her breath away and she nearly didn't hear Harry when he replied, "Even though he is horrible Dudley still gets hugs from Petunia when he scrapes his knee and praise from Vernon when he does good at sports. That's loads more than I have ever gotten."

The silence between them was deafening and Mrs. Hendrixson didn't know what to say. The moments stretched on until Harry's stomach growled again and he glanced towards the kitchen where the finished food was waiting.

She continued to stare at his tear stained face and then squeezed his shoulder. "We should get some food into that loud stomach of yours, Harry."

He looked at her again and she was stunned again by the pain in his young gaze. He sighed and nodded, walking past her, eyes downcast.

"The food does smell really good," he murmured in a slightly hoarse voice.

Mrs. Hendrixson rose to her feet and put a warm hand on the boy's bony shoulder and gave him a gentle push into the kitchen. He stood there and watched as she put the two sandwiches onto two different plates and moved towards him to go into the dining room. When he offered to help she shook her head and pulled out a chair for him to sit in across from her. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Harry shifted uncomfortably in the chair and fiddled with the silverware and smoothed out the cream tablecloth in from of his.

She ran her hand through her light blond hair and sighed. She pulled oven mitts on and picked up the heavy Crockpot and put it on the table in between them. She put a bowl in front of him and laded out a large amount of soup and put it in his bowl. She passed the plate of sandwiches towards him and smiled when he took a large bite out of it. He began to eat his soup and his eyes lit up with pleasure and he ate at a faster pace.

"Thank you Mrs. Hendrixson, this is very good."

"You're welcome, dear," she murmured with a soft smile.

After dinner was done, Mrs. Hendrixson showed Harry her music studio. His eyes lit up as he took in the room. There was a baby grand in the middle of the room and shelves full of music. There was an antique trombone on a stand ("My husband plays Trombone in the orchestra, Harry.") and a music stand with music sitting on top of it.

He smiled and then moved towards the piano and sat down on the stool. He ran his fingers over the shining white keys and began to play some scales. He smiled as the notes floated up to him clear and pure. He began to play 'Rondo al Turca' by Mozart.

Mrs. Hendrixson leaned against the wall and smiled as she listened to Harry play. She had known that bringing him to that room would be a good idea. He moved from one song to another in quick succession and his playing became more frantic. Even if it was scales or etudes or anything, he played to get most of his sadness out of him.

Harry played for nearly an hour and a half until his teacher gently coaxed him away from the piano. His fingers throbbed from pounding the keys and his back ached and his head hurt, but he felt much better. He allowed himself to be pulled into Mrs. Hendrixson's guest bedroom. His eyes widened as he took in the large bed with its plump pillows and warm blankets. He had been in pajamas then entire evening so he climbed into the bed and nearly cried when he snuggled into the firm mattress. He had never in his life (that he could remember) had such a wonderful bed and his own room, even if it was only for one night.

Mrs. Hendrixson tucked Harry into her guest bedroom and wrapped the quilt securely around his small body. He was still very upset, even after eating a bowl of soup and half and sandwich and talking to her. At least he had found some way of release by playing the piano. After dinner she could only hold Harry and gently card her fingers through his flyaway hair and try to comfort him.

'There has to be something I can do. If things keep going the way they do Harry might end up seriously hurt by his relatives. He's already emotionally damaged and that will take years of help to sooth the pain he's been through.'

She watched the young boy sleep for a moment and backed away slowly until she got to the door. She pulled it closed, but didn't shut it and went down the hall to her own room. There was nothing more she could do until tomorrow and she was dreading that day.

Wow, I haven't have not updated in over three months! I apologize everyone, I had MASSIVE WRITER'S BLOCK . There were a lot of little details that I had to pay attention to.

Please leave some comments and keep reading. Thanks a bunch! 

I know that might be a little out of character for Petunia to be so rude to Madison's family like that. After all, she has to put up appearances for herself and Vernon, especially since he works for the Ackhardts…


	11. Chapter 11

Ha-ha, I noticed that I had never put a disclaimer up for this story! Well, obviously I don't own the lovely Harry Potter series or any of its characters. Madison Ackhardt, her family and Harry's teachers are products of my own imagination. I do not own any of the music Madison, Harry or Draco play. There you go!! 

_The only way Harry could escape from his cruel "family" when he was a child was music but even that was taken away from him._

Music Sets Me Free

Chapter Eleven

..................

Harry rose from a peaceful sleep and slowly opened his eyes. He winced against the light coming into his cupboard and shut his eyes again.

'Wait, light!?'

He opened his eyes again and blinked against the sunshine that filtered through the blinds of the bedroom window. He shifted and stretched, marveling at the feeling of waking up without cramped muscles. He looked about him curiously, wondering where he was until it all came back to him.

"I ran away from home…" Harry murmured softly and reached for the blankets and pulled them back from his body. He stretched again and settled back onto the mattress for a few more seconds of relief before rising from the bed and straightening the blankets.

'I might have gotten a break yesterday but now I have to face reality.'

Harry sighed and walked down the hallway and went into the bathroom. He washed his face and stared at his reflection in the mirror, wincing as he saw his slightly bloodshot eyes. He scrubbed at them with his towel and sighed when he saw no change.

Though the bed he had slept in had been one of the most wonderful things he had ever experienced, he had slept a quite fitfully. He dreamt of Dudley, Madison, and other children at the school taunting him for being an orphan and not having anyone love him. In his dream, he had turned to Madison, crying as the girl laughed at his tears and hugged her parents just to spite him. After trying to convince himself that was only a nightmare his sleep had been fitful and restless afterwards.

Harry gazed at his reflection a little longer before sighing and making his way down the stairs. He saw Mrs. Hendrixson standing in the kitchen talking on the phone. She was laughing and he watched as she went to the refrigerator and wrote something on the calendar.

He glanced towards the stove where some sausage was cooking. He picked up the spatula and moved them around in the pan so the food wouldn't burn.

"Harry, dear, you don't have to do that. I've got that all covered. Just go into the dining room and sit or you can go play the piano again," Mrs. Hendrixson called to him, while she covered the mouthpiece of the phone.

Harry just smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry, I like to cook."

His piano teacher watched him thoughtfully for a few more seconds before returning to her conversation. Harry cracked the eggs into a bowl and stirred them for a minute then moved over to the fridge and pulled out some cheese, onions, and peppers. He held them up silently and gazed at them with a question, and Mrs. Hendrixson just nodded and smiled. He went back to the stove and then poured the egg mixture into the skillet and proceeded to make two omelets. He set the sausage aside as his egg mixture began to cook.

A few minutes later, Harry set breakfast on the table and grabbed some apple juice and milk. He sat down after pouring apple juice into a glass for himself and milk into another glass for Mrs. Hendrixson. Soon after, she walked into the room and gazed upon the table and sat down.

"I apologize for talking on the phone for so long; I was just talking to my husband. He's away for a music conference this weekend."

Harry smiled thoughtfully as he thought about Mrs. Hendrixson's wedding picture and the smiling man standing next to her. They had looked so content and happy; he wondered if his parents had looked at each other like that as well…

"Oh, Harry; this looks and smells wonderful!" Mrs. Hendrixson exclaimed happily, startling Harry out of his musings. He watched silently as she began to eat her breakfast, a content smile forming on her face.

"Where did you learn to cook so well, dear?"

Harry blushed slightly. "My relatives have me cook for nearly every meal," he murmured softly.

That earned a slight from his teacher and Harry's pleased blushed turned to one of shame. He began to remember the smacks on the back of the head from his aunt or the bellowing of his burly uncle when he messed up on a meal.

"They _make_ you cook? I'm sure they can do the same for themselves."

Harry shook his head and began to start in on his omelet. "Don't worry, I love to cook. I know how to make a lot of things, like roast or pies and cakes…"

Mrs. Hendrixson watched him as he began to ramble and sighed. She reached across the table and took the hand that was nervously fiddling with his napkin and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm glad you love to cook, Harry and you are quite adept at the art but I find it a bit odd that they make you cook nearly every meal for them. You are a child, not a servant."

At that, the small child ducked his head and sniffled.

"What else do they have you do, Harry?"

Harry looked up from behind his sooty eyelashes. "I clean the house, take care of the plants, and do yard work…"

"Ah, and does your cousin help you during your chores?"

Harry knew that he couldn't lie to her. "No he doesn't. His parents tell him to go play outside and get on the computer or play video games."

Mrs. Hendrixson nodded once more as her suspicions were confirmed. The Dursleys treated Harry like he was just their little slave and not a child who needed to thrive, play, and be loved. She could tell just by looking at their son that Dudley was spoiled and also had a rotten disposition. He threw tantrums when he didn't get his way and bullied other children over the most ridiculous of things.

She folded her arms over her chest and gazed straight into her student's eyes. "Do you think that is fair? You have to do a lot of work on your own and your cousin just gets to go play outside or gets extra food?"

Harry blanched and Mrs. Hendrixson's mouth twisted to a bitter smile. "I figured they didn't feed you properly. You always looked so small and withdrawn so when we started our lessons I decided to bring food for you. I've hardly ever seen you with a lunch box either. Obviously you have food at home with your cousin and his…large frame."

Harry began to panic a bit and tremble and Mrs. Hendrixson took pity on him. She was so upset about the way that he was being treated at home that she had practically made the child lose his entire appetite.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I'm just upset that you or any child could be treated like that. We'll speak of this later, just finish your breakfast."

The rest of breakfast was a bit strained; both of them caught in their own troubled thoughts. Harry picked at his food but had a change of heart (he hated wasting food at all) and ate his entire plate. Mrs. Hendrixson gathered the plates and let him wander the house as he pleased while she cleaned the kitchen and dining room.

Harry wandered back into the piano room and gazed around it silently. He looked at the shelves filled with music and wandered to the piano section. There were many books from beginning theory to advanced pieces. He looked at the theory books and wondered if it was alright to pull a book or two from the shelves.

Mrs. Hendrixson walked into the room after finishing the dishes and took in Harry as he wandered around the music room looking at the shelves. She walked in and smiled as he reached up to pull a book from the shelf. He startled when she came up next to him and blushed when she pulled the book out for him.

"It's alright if you'd like to read some of these books. I'll bring them to school for you and let you read them after lessons."

A bright smile lightened the child's face and took the book and opened it. Mrs. Hendrixson reminisced about her college days when she had first purchased the book.

"One day I want to have a music room like this too," Harry sighed as he sat down on a chair near the windows and started reading about music theory. He didn't understand too much of it and a couple of the words were quite big but it was still interesting. It seemed that he just couldn't get enough information about music.

Mrs. Hendrixson smiled at moved to the piano and sat down. She ran through a few scales and then played the piano accompaniment for Madison's piece she played at the Spring Recital. She smiled when Harry looked up from his reading and laughed softly.

The two of them spent nearly an hour just relaxing and talking in between playing and reading. Harry felt so comfortable and happy but in the back of his mind he knew that he would eventually have to leave and go back to his 'family'. He tried to push those scared feelings down each time he spared the Grandfather Clock on the wall a glance.

Those quick glances to the offending clock didn't go missed by Mrs. Hendrixson; she knew her student wanted to stay as long as she could but she needed to leave by three to pick up her husband from the airport and she needed enough time so she could talk to the Dursleys before she left.

It was nearly half past twelve when Mrs. Hendrixson finally gave Harry a sad smile and murmured it was time to leave. His face fell and he reluctantly rose from the plush chair and put the books back onto the shelves. He accepted the thick chicken sandwich and cookies with juice from her and munched as she got ready.

After lunch, the two of them got into the car and began to the thirty minute journey to the Dursley's home. Harry stayed silent on the car ride back to his relative's house. He gazed out the window and watched the scenery _whiz_ past and dreaded seeing their angry faces. He pressed his aching forehead against the cool glass and sighed when Mrs. Hendrixson gently squeezed his arm when they pulled into the driveway.

"I would like to speak to your relatives Harry. Nothing too forward, but I would like to let them know that I know that something isn't right and they need to change their treatment of you. I'm not the only teacher who has noticed something is happening with your family.

As the two of them walked to the door, Harry clutched to his teacher's hand and his found his headache to grow worse and worse as they got closer to the door. He winced when Mrs. Hendrixson pressed the doorbell and shifted behind her slightly preparing himself for the worst.

Vernon opened the door and looked took in the two people standing there. His nephew and the woman he recognized from the music recital with a firm look on her face. Vernon moved aside and said in an overly polite voice, "Would you like to come in?"

Mrs. Hendrixson nodded briefly and stepped inside. She took in the living room with its clean but droll surroundings. She glanced at the fireplace and saw the pictures above it of the Dursleys and their obese son, but none of her young student. She frowned and turned towards Harry who was standing by the door with a fearful and confused look his face. He looked as if he wanted to bolt from the room.

"Mr. Dursley, this is not a social call. I would like to discuss your nephew and your treatment of him."

Vernon blanched and began to sputter. Petunia fumbled slightly when she set the drinks down on the table and glared at the piano teacher.

"I have reason to believe that the two of you have been neglectful when it comes to your nephew. When I see him at the school he is malnourished and he cowers when people get too close to him. Also he is too quiet for his age and he had only one or two friends at this school.

"When I see your own son Dudley, I can see that you clearly favor him over Harry. He receives some of the best care and is spoiled rotten even though he does not excel in school or have a pleasant disposition. He bullies other students at the school had quite the foul temper—"

Vernon rose from his chair, his face flushed a near purple in his rage.

"No, see here! You will not be discussing our son in such a manner! You have no bloody right!"

Mrs. Hendrixson stood her ground. "I have the 'ground' to bring my concerns about one of my students to the surface when I see fit! I am not the only teacher at that school who had showed concern about your nephew and the care you give him or lack thereof. I have a mind to report this to the police!"

Harry gasped and took a step forward in disbelief. Threatening Vernon with the authorities would either scare him or fuel to the fire. He was betting on the latter.

The two adults stared each other down and finally Vernon surprisingly shook his head and blinked in anger. His face was still twisted into an ugly scowl but he nodded and glared at the piano teacher standing before him.

"We'll, err---make sure to take care of him and give him better treatment, you can be sure of that…"

Harry trembled, knowing that by that tone of voice his uncle had something unpleasant in mind. He looked up at Mrs. Hendrixson with pleading eyes, hoping that she noticed it as well. She narrowed her eyes at the obese man and murmured, "I would like to think that a reprimand from a teacher is better than having the authorities come to your home or even worse to your place of work and need to talk to you. It's much easier to solve this in the home and treat Harry as he ought to be treated…"

Mrs. Hendrixson stopped speaking. She could tell that the brute of a man standing in front of her would not heed her warnings and that scared her about Harry's welfare. She cared a great deal for him and couldn't stand to know that such a bright, talented, and sweet child was in such a hateful environment. How he had managed to grow up here and not have many, many behavioral problems was beyond her.

Petunia huffed and Vernon put an arm around her. "I will take your comments to consideration, Mrs. Hendrixson. Thank you for watching Harry last night."

Harry watched as Mrs. Hendrixson looked at his uncle for a few tense seconds, then she gave Harry a soft smile and bent to hug him. He hesitated then wrapped his arms around her and squeezed. She released him and wished for all the world that she could bring the small boy back home with her and take care him of him properly.

"I'll see you soon, Harry. Take care."

With that and a closed door, the kind teacher had left the house. Harry gasped in fear as the back of his shirt collar was grabbed and he was thrown into the sofa. He cried out as he connected and landed with a grunt onto the hardwood floor. He whimpered as his uncle towered over him and yelled.

"YOU WORTHLESS LITTLE FREAK! You DARE to bring your teacher come into MY house and tell me how to raise a sorry little brat like yourself? You think with your friends in high places like the Ackhardt family and that good-for-nothing teacher that you now have some worth is it? Well, _boy _you're in for a rude awakening!"

Vernon grabbed Harry but the shoulder and hauled him to his feet. He shoved the frightened child in the direction of his cupboard then slapped the back of his head none too gently before pushing him into the cramped and dark space. He smirked when he heard the whimper of pain before locking the door.

"I'm going to find a way to get that money and use it the way I see fit! You're not going to try to keep money your aunt, Dudders, and I deserve!"

After kicking the door to add insult to injury, the red-faced bully stormed into the kitchen and grabbed the first container holding alcohol that he could see.

Petunia watched as her husband became angrier and angrier.

"Vernon, I know that you're angry but the horrible woman won't tell anyone what happened. She doesn't really have _that much _proof. Also, as much as I don't want to admit it, she has a point; we need to stop treating the boy that way."

Vernon whipped around and stalked to his now cowering wife. "We need to stop treating the boy how he ought to be treated? Like a freak whom from the very moment he was dropped on our step, burdened us with extra expenses and heartache that a family like ours has no room to deal with? You rethink those words Petunia and hold your tongue next time you have something utterly stupid to say!"

Petunia recoiled in surprise and anger as her husband brushed past her into the living room to plop down onto his chair. She tried to keep tears at bay in her eyes but utterly forgot about her anger and hurt when something whizzed past her face and landed neatly on the dining room table. She cautiously moved towards the table and looked at the letter. She picked it up and then let out a nearly inhuman shriek.

"VERNON! We got a letter f-from—"

Her husband lumbered into the room, a bit tipsy already and grumbled, "What _now_, Pet?" He snatched the letter and read the address gracing the fine parchment.

"What the bloody hell!?"

Vernon stared at the letter for a few second before shaking his head and ripping none to gently into the envelope and reading the fancy letterhead that stood out boldly in scarlet lettering.

"_**Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"**_

"Blast it all!" Vernon yelled before scanning the letter. As he read be became more infuriated with each word. After he finished he tossed it over his shoulder, not paying attention to Petunia as she scrambled to catch it. He grabbed another bottle and went back into the living room.

Petunia scanned the letter and froze after reading it. She looked out the doorway to the cupboard and gulped in an un lady-like fashion.

'They know; those freaks know how we're treating him! They're watching the house or cast some sort of—of _spell_ on us!'

Petunia wrapped her arms around herself and then tried to roughly brush herself off, as if to remove some imaginary particles of _magic _from her body. She shuddered and was thankful her little Dudley was out having tea with Piers and didn't have to see all of the chaos erupting at the house.

She turned and watched her husband slowly but surely get drunk in anger and hoped that this bout of crazed anger would pass. He had never yelled at her in that manner before and she hoped she would never have to see that side of him again. She glared at the cupboard again, nearly hating the child on the other side for ruining her nearly picture perfect life.

"Damn you," she whispered before tidying up the kitchen and walked solemly up to the bedroom only to stare silently out the window until night fell.

……

Vernon stumbled back into the living room and nearly tripped over the couch in his drunkenness, plopping soundly on the piece of furniture crumpling the piece of parchment in his large hand. He stared bleary-eyed at the letter again and sneered.

'N-nobody is gonna' (hic) 'tell me how to treat my' (hic) 'damn nephew…'

The large man slumped on the couch and soon began to snore, the alcohol and stress from the day finally taking him down. He knew that damn piano teacher wouldn't go to the authorities or tell anyone about him for that matter. He wouldn't have anything compromise his position at work or get in the way o

He fell asleep, never hearing the soft click as the cupboard opened, or the soft cautious footsteps of his nephew as he slipped into unconsciousness.

……

Harry crept from his cupboard which hadn't been locked securely in his uncle's anger and haste. He moved quietly to his uncle and effortless pulled the crumpled paper out of the man's meaty fist. He moved so he was hiding behind the couch and opened the paper gently and scanned it.

There was an odd crest at top and the letterhead and Harry could barely read it from the spilled beer and rips on the paper but he could make out, "Hogw---", "School", and "Wit---". He tried to scan the rest of the letter but the entire parchment was saturated with beer and so wrinkled there would be hardly any way to salvage it.

Harry tried to rack his brain for what the odd words could say but he was startled by a bony hand gripping his shoulder and spinning him around which snatching the letter from his hands. He nearly cried out but stopped when he saw his aunt's face glaring at him.

"What are you doing, boy!? You get right back to your cupboard and stop snooping about in others affairs!" Petunia gave him a shove in the direction of his cupboard. He opened his mouth to protest but his uncle let out a pained groan as Petunia shook him. Harry decided then and there that he would rather be shooed back to his cupboard and avoid his uncle for the rest of the night than get on his bad side in any way.

Harry watched as his aunt tried rousing his uncle and pulling him from the couch. He muffled a laugh and scurried off when his aunt turned back to glare at him again. As he pulled the door closed behind him, Harry couldn't get his mind off of the strange letter his uncle had received and the way they had tried so hard to keep it away from him.

The next day, Harry was ushered out of his cupboard to clean the house. Thankfully his entire family was out of the house so he had the opportunity to make a small sandwich and drink a bit of juice. As he made his small breakfast the phone rang shrilly, startling him out of his musings. He leaned over and read the Caller ID (1) and read, "Ackhardt." A large smile spread onto his face and he quickly grabbed the phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello Harry! It's Madison. I was just wondering if you were accepted to the award concert. I hope you did because you really deserved it!"

Harry laughed and confirmed his award. He had to hold the phone away from his ear when the girl squealed loudly over the line.

"My uncle was really mad that the money wasn't given to me. He said horrible things," he admitted softly into the phone.

"Even if you had gotten the check in the mail with your letter it wouldn't be able to be used until you needed it for a music school or towards other education. If your foolish uncle wants to use the money on himself or your rotten cousin the society would know about it and he would get into more trouble than he already was in for taking it from you."

Harry shook his head. "They would have found some way around it and used up the money. It doesn't matter anyway; there is no way they would let me go to a special school. I'm, not allowed to do anything that makes appear smarter than my cousin."

Madison sighed on the other line. She nearly hated the Dursley's and their horrible treatment of her friend. He sounded so sad and downtrodden and she tried to wrack her brain for a way to cheer him up.

"Harry, isn't your birthday soon?"

Harry frowned and looked over at the calendar. He had nearly forgotten the day (as had everyone else in the house). There were only four days left until he turned ten. Unlike most children, his birthday didn't get him excited. His aunt and uncle had the nerve to buy their son a present some years on his birthday, as if to rub it in his face.

After affirming the date of her friend's birthday, Madison exclaimed over the phone, "We should do something fun that day! I'll just say you need to practice with me and your aunt and uncle will just let you come over!"

Harry's eyes lit up and he laughed excitedly into the phone. Finally, his first celebrated birthday.

"That would be fun Maddy! I hope Uncle Vernon lets me go!"

"He will if I have anything to say about it! You'll be double digits soon so you need to have a fun birthday!"

Harry talked to his friend for a few more minutes and happy did his chores after hanging up the phone. In four days he would be having his first birthday party. He pushed his thoughts of his relatives aside and thought of Mrs. Hendrixson, Madison and her family, and the competition he won. With those things, nothing else could bring him down…

.**................**

Thanks for all of the lovely reviews you've given me! I enjoy reading each one and look forward to seeing them in my 'Inbox'.

I wish I had the desire to read about music theory like Harry does! I honestly hate the subject nearly as much as I hate music history, ha-ha.

I looked up caller ID and I couldn't see too much information about it being used in Britain but it was there during the time of this story. If anyone knows more about that, please let me know so this stays accurate.

If anyone is interested in helping me beta my story, that would be wonderful. I'll warn anyone that I update a bit sporadically (I've had a couple of betas abandon me…) but it's been brought to my attention that I have quite a few errors to fix….

Next chapter: Harry's birthday and a surprise. Then Hogwarts starts coming into play.

Thanks for reviewing,

Korogi-chan

5/27/09


	12. Chapter 12

Ha-ha, I noticed that I had never put a disclaimer up for this story! Well, obviously I don't own the lovely Harry Potter series or any of its characters. Madison Ackhardt, her family and Harry's teachers are products of my own imagination. I do not own any of the music Madison, Harry or Draco play. There you go!! 

_The only way Harry could escape from his cruel "family" when he was a child was music but even that was taken away from him._

Music Sets Me Free

Chapter Twelve

For Harry, the next four days couldn't go by fast enough. He was looking forward to spending time away from the Dursleys as much as possible. He barely complained when they piled on the chores as most of them were outside and even it the hot sun he found relief from them. He tried to stay on his best behavior but even that didn't lift his uncle's still foul mood over the odd letter that had arrived in the mail.

Dudley walked up behind Harry and pushed the smaller boy against the wheelbarrow none too gently and Harry turned around with a glare.

"I heard Mum and Dad were angry at you for running away a couple of days ago. I wish you hadn't come back; you've put them in a rotten mood and they snap at me over little things!"

As much as Harry despised how his family treated him, he didn't think they should treat Dudley badly either. Even though he had never known anything else, Harry understood that parents were meant to nurture their children and help them grow. Every time he saw Madison interact with her family or heard Mrs. Hendrixson fondly speak of her family, Harry knew something was wrong with his aunt and uncle. At first he might have thought how they treated him was normal but he now knew something was wrong.

"I'm sorry Dudley but maybe you'll know what it feels like to be like me for awhile."

Dudley blanched at that and turned red in the face, looking too much like his father for Harry's comfort.

"Don't you EVER say that again; I would never want to be like you. It's not possible anyway since my parents _love me_ and no one in their right mind would ever want to love a freak like you!!"

Harry immediately felt tears well up in his eyes and was about to move towards Dudley when Petunia yelled for the pudgy boy to come back inside for lunch and for Harry to stop dawdling and finish his chores. As Dudley walked inside with a smug look on his face Harry wiped away the tears that had managed to escape. He quickly finished his work if only to try to forget what his cousin told him and made his way back into the house afterwards.

….

Harry went upstairs to Dudley's second bedroom and opened the window. His relatives had told him to clean out the cluttered room ('_What a rotten way to begin my birthday!_' Harry thought.) He began to dust and tried to move around some of broken toys that Dudley had cast off. After putting the toys into a large box he started on the books lying all over the floor. He scoffed at the thick layer of dust coating the books. He knew that Dudley hated reading or anything that didn't have to do with video games, boxing, beating up Harry, or food.

He was so engrossed in reading the book titles that he never saw the sleek bird flying silently through the open windows or landing neatly next to him. Only when a sharp beak tapped his arm did Harry startle and turn quickly and look straight into the intelligent orange eyes (1) of an owl.

A sharp cry left Harry's lips and he toppled over onto his bottom. As he watched the bird he could swear the ruffle of its feathers was a form of bird laughter. He noticed the envelope it carried and he reached out cautiously to take it. The owl hooted in satisfaction as Harry took the letter from its talons and stared at the fancy parchment. The front of the envelope only held his name on the front of it.

"Who would send me an envelope?" Harry wondered aloud. He glanced back at the owl that had almost an impatient look on his face if owls were capable of having expressions. He ruffled his feathers and hooted in what Harry took to be a sound of annoyance.

"Alright, alright; I'll open the letter!" Harry giggled to himself as he watched the lovely bird. He tugged on the wax seal holding the letter closed then scanned the first line after he opened it

_Dear Potter,_

_You caught my attention at the Music Competition a few weeks ago when you said there was no such thing as magic and I must say I wonder if you are completely _Confunded_. I suppose that since you live with Muggles you might not see magic around you every day but you _are _a wizard and one of the most well known and celebrated in Britain. _

Harry stared at the letter in disbelief and looked back at the owl who was inspecting it's feathers.

"Why would you send a letter to someone just to insult them? I don't know what _Confunded _means but I'm assuming it's some kind of insult!"

The owl turned one orange eye towards him before going back to preening its feathers. Harry rolled his eyes and went back to reading. His head was full of questions.

_If you relatives were that foolish to not tell you anything about the Wizarding World then I don't want to see what Dumbledore will do to them when you start school in nearly a year's time. _

'Dumbledore?' Harry mused. 'Who is Dumbledore? That's such an odd name…'

_Anyway, I must say that I was impressed with your musical abilities. I'm sure you received a scholarship and some recognition. I did as well and maybe I will see you at the Honor Recital. _

_I will have to cut this letter short as it is time for my lessons. _

_Draco Malfoy_

_PS – Happy Birthday_

Harry gasped in surprise and reread the last line. How could Draco possibly know his birthday!? He never mentioned it and Madison didn't know about it until a few weeks ago and she would have never told Draco anyway.

'Maybe he's right, you must be famous somehow,' that traitorous voice in his head murmured. The same voice that reminded him of all the odd things that happened to him; his hair growing back overnight or ending up on the roof of a school.

Harry didn't have long to think because a loud yell from his aunt startled him out of his thoughts.

….

"Boy!"

The loud cry roused Harry from his contemplation of the letter and he hastily shoved it under one of the loose floorboards as he heard footsteps making their way up the stairs to the second bedroom. He turned from the door to the owl in alarm and got up quickly, trying to shoo the proud bird back out of the window. It hooted loudly in indignation before soaring out of the window just as Petunia stepped into the room.

"Didn't you hear me yelling for you!? Your _friend _Madison just called saying her family was going to be over here in two hours."

Harry's face lit up in surprise and he remembered Madison saying that she might have something fun planned for his birthday. His happy thoughts were squashed quickly under his aunt's sharp reply.

"You won't be going anywhere if you don't finish these chores! You've barely cleaned this room as it is. You need to finish packing everything away, dust, and vacuum and clean the windows…"

Harry didn't hear the rest of what his aunt said; he had already started cleaning the room again. He picked up his pace and pulled the bucket with cleaning supplies in it closer to him. He picked up the books and straightened the shelves, then made quick work of the dusting. Petunia just stared at him in disbelief but just shrugged, throwing over her shoulder that the rest of Harry's chores were on the refrigerator. She watched him as he quickly dusty and mused that the Ackhardts should make plans to take him out more often if he was going to clean as quickly and well as he did now.

…

After an hour and fifteen minutes, Harry was finally done with all of the chores. At the back of his mind was the letter stowed away under the worn floorboards. He felt guilty about shooing the owl out of the window was well and hoped that the bird hadn't flown away. Even though it was odd, Harry wanted to respond to Draco's letter.

As soon as he was able, Harry grabbed his green shirt and some pants and new underclothes and took a quick shower. His last chore had been cleaning out the shed and that had been a tedious job. Afterwards, Harry went to the bedroom to pull the letter out of the floorboards. He scanned it once more and rushed back to the window and opened it, trying in vain to crain his neck and look onto the roof for any sight of the owl. He whistled softly and called out but no response came.

Harry was crestfallen. Even though Madison hadn't liked Draco too much the boy hadn't seemed that bad. It could be another chance for Harry to have another friend, or at least he hoped so. Even If Madison hadn't liked Draco that didn't mean Harry had to be the same way. He would take any friend he could get.

After glancing into the mirror and running a slender hand through his hair, Harry was ready to go. He gazed forlornly out the window once more and shut the window. He replaced the letter in its hiding place and left the room. Thankfully his family was out for the rest of the day until at least 10 P.M. so maybe after he returned Harry would have some time to himself.

"I wish I could get the owl to come back! If that letter got here by owl, which is odd enough, how am I supposed to reply?"

Harry sighed and wandered around the hose with a forlorn air about him until the doorbell rang. He jumped in surprise but remembered who it would probably be. He ran to the door, peeked out the peephole, then pulled the door open with a large smile on his face.

"Happy Tenth Birthday Harry!"

The Ackhardt family stood there in formal attire and Harry was glad that he wore his nice shirt and pants. He wasn't sure why they were dressed up but they all looked nice. Kirsten Ackhardt looked lovely in a sparkling black dress that fell to mid calf. Her hair was pulled back into a stylish chignon and a set of diamond earrings graced her ears with diamond bracelets and necklace to match. Madison wore a deep red dress and had a small pair of diamond earrings as well. Her hair was curly instead of being straight and she gave Harry a huge smile. Mr. Ackhardt and Ackhardt Sr. looked regal in elegant black tuxedos.

Harry gazed at all of them in awe and his confusion must have shown on his face for Cameron laughed and reached out to clap Harry on the shoulder.

"I bet you're wondering why we're so dressed up aren't you Harry?" After an answering nod, Cameron looked over at his wife who opened her purse and pulled out an envelope and handed it to her husband.

"Well, I believe you'll understand when you open this."

Harry's eyes lit up in delight as he opened the envelope Madison's father handed him. Inside was a ticket and his excitement grew as he turned it over. It was for a concert for an up and coming young pianist. Harry giggled in pleasure and Madison's family nearly wanted to cry at the look of pure happiness on his face. Anytime they saw Harry he looked world weary and cheerless. Now his smile threatened to split his face and the adults couldn't help but become as happy for him.

"Thank you so, so, _so_, much!" Harry cried. He rushed towards them and gave each of them a large hug.

Madison laughed as Harry hugged her. "I knew you would like it!"

Harry was practically jumping around with happiness and glee.

"Oh, thank you so much!"

Madison's family laughed. Kirsten gently wrapped an arm around harry and pulled his towards the car. "The concert starts in an hour so we need to leave now if we want to beat the crowd!"

Harry didn't need anymore encouragement and grabbed Madison's hand and ran towards the car. The adults laughed as the two friend ran to the car, giggling and chatting about how much fun the concert would be. It was worth it seeing the happy and content smile on Harry's face and none of them had ever seen him act so happy.

….

The concert hall was nearly full of patrons and Harry looked on with wonder as they made their way into the balcony. The reserved seating was empty, save one seat. Mrs. Hendrixson and a man Harry assumed was her husband. Harry waved wildly at Mrs. Hendrixson and ran to the older woman when she stood up and gave her a tight hug. He pulled away from her and smiled at her regal appearance; she wore a midnight blue gown that reached the floor and her faded blond hair was falling past her shoulders in soft curls. Her husband wore an elegant suit with a midnight blue flower pinned to the jacket. They were a handsome pair and Harry couldn't help but wonder if his own parents would have made such a striking couple.

"So, Harry; I hear you're one of my wife's favorite students! I also saw the news in the paper about you winning one of the scholarships, well done. I look forward to hearing you play one day."

Harry flushed in pleasure and murmured his thanks. He remembered that Mr. Hendrixson played in a symphony orchestra and there were many accomplished instrumentalists that he heard nearly every day. He offered a shy smile of thanks and sat down between Mrs. Hendrixson and Madison. They all made small talk until the light began to dim in the hall and Harry turned his attention to the stage. Thunderous applause greeted the young man walking onto the stage and he smiled broadly to everyone.

"Look Harry, he's only 19 and he's played in multiple countries all over the world. That would be my life's dream to perform!"

Harry sighed and watched the young man walk to the piano on the stage and begin to play. The music floated through the hall and Harry lost himself in the melodies floating around him. The feeling he felt when he heard music couldn't be matched by anything else.

A few minutes later the song ended and Harry clapped as loud as anyone else in the hall. He watched as the members of a major orchestra moved on the stage and sat down behind the piano. They accompanied the piano player on the next song and Harry loved it even more. Madison nudged him in excited and the two children smiled at each other and leaned forward in their seats to listen. The adults shared looks of amusement as they watched the two friends whisper about the performance. They knew that it had been a good idea.

…..

Harry was still on Cloud 9 when he opened the door to the house and walked inside. He couldn't believe the amazing night that he had and was sad it was over. After the amazing concert, Harry and his friends had gone to a nice restaurant, had dinner and then Harry got a fudge brownie sundae. He had demolished it much to everyone's amusement and had sat back in his seat in content as conversation washed over him. He and Madison had kept going on and on about the talented young piano player and Harry hoped that one day he could be in that very same place and have people there to watch him perform.

Harry made sure everything was in place as he glanced at the clock. It read 9:37P.M. The Dursley's would be back soon and Harry wanted to make sure there was absolutely nothing they could yell at him about. As he made his way up the stairs he heard a sharp tapping. Harry cautiously moved up the stairs and the tapping became louder. He pushed the extra bedroom's door open and to his delight saw the proud looking owl next to the window. He rushed towards the window and pulled it open. The owl hooted softly and after flying around the room once, landed softly on Harry's shoulder. Harry laughed softly and reached up to stroke the sleep feathers.

"I thought you were gone! I'm sorry for practically shoving you out of the window…" Harry stopped talking as he realized how foolish it was to talk to an animal as if it were a human or some other being able to understand what he was saying. To his surprise the owl bobbed its head slightly and left his shoulder, going back to the window pane and resting there, gazing at him intently.

"Oh! I need to reply don't I?"

Harry went to the bookshelves and found a old but useable piece of notebook paper. He pulled a pencil from another shelf and began to reply to the letter Draco had sent him that day. He made sure to mention the concert and confirming that he would probably be at the Recital later the next month. Harry refrained from mentioning the 'magic' part of Draco's letter but did ask how he was able to teach an owl to send letters and how in the world he knew where to send it and more importantly, how he knew Harry's birthday.

The owl hooted and stretched out a leg as Harry put the letter in a faded envelope and used the ribbon from before to wrap the letter to the owl's leg.

"Thanks so much for coming back so I could reply," Harry said while stroking the proud bird's feathers. He received a nip in return and watched as the bird flew out the window. He continued to watch it until he heard the sound of a lock being opened and the loud, most-likely drunk voice of his uncle float up the stairs. Harry sighed but closed the window and door and walked down the stairs. He had the single BEST birthday that he had ever had and nothing, not even his rotten relatives could get him down.

…

This chapter was RUSHED. I wanted to get it out before June 11th but I'm JUST NOW at 11:04PM finishing it and posting it (unbetaed FAIL) for everyone as a bday present to you all (haha). I know there are terrible errors but I updated as quick as I could. I'll go back and fix it eventually so please don't flame too much as I knew there are plenty of errors as it is…..

A couple of reviewers brought to my attention that they found Madison very annoying, even to the point of wanting to hit her over the head with a guitar and running her over with a '67 Chevy I believe… Anyway, please, if you find any character annoying or with flaws otherwise, please let me know how and where you get irritated by them. I honestly need to rewrite certain parts with Madison, especially chapter 11; she annoys me as well.

I looked up Draco's owl and it is a Eurasian eagle owl. Described as having yellow or orange eyes and a haughty look about it with a proud face, muted brown feathers and prominent ear tufts.

Thanks for reading and I hope you're enjoying my story so far!

Korogi-chan

6/11/09 Happy 20th Birthday to ME!


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello! After three years here is an update! **_I'm on tumblr at Shards-of-Divinity where I'll post info about new chapters and you can ask my questions there ._

Ha-ha, I noticed that I had never put a disclaimer up for this story! Well, obviously I don't own the lovely Harry Potter series or any of its characters. Madison Ackhardt, her family and Harry's teachers are products of my own imagination. I do not own any of the music Madison, Harry or Draco play. There you go!

_The only way Harry could escape from his cruel "family" when he was a child was music but even that was taken away from him._

Music Sets Me Free

Chapter Thirteen

Whatever had run through Draco Malfoy's mind when he wrote that letter to Harry Potter of all people, he would never understand.

To his surprise, a reply was made only twelve hours later and Draco couldn't help his excitement as he took the parchment from his owl when it flew in through his window. He rose an eyebrow at the rough notebook paper and the odd lines and unfamiliar writing but read it anyway.

_Dear Draco,_

_How in the world do you know when my birthday is?_

Draco laughed as he scanned the first line. The Potter boy got right to the chase didn't he?

_Madison didn't know until a few days ago and you and I barely spoke so how did you know? What do you mean by 'I'm one of the most celebrated Wizards in Britain?' That makes no sense at all!_

_Also, magic doesn't exist anyway. You must not understand that and neither did your mother because you both dressed oddly._

Draco smirked and folded the odd parchment and took out a piece of his own to reply.

_Dear Harry,_

_Our entire world knows about you! You've been famous since you were one. How is that you don't know this? Dumbledore should have sent your family a letter…_

_Anyways, my family and I were NOT dressed oddly. We Malfoys are the richest, oldest family in the Wizarding world and pride ourselves in dressing in only the finest clothing. Muggle fashion might be easier to move around in but it's not traditional._

_Magic does exist and it's in your blood as well. Your father was a Pureblood wizard and your mother was Muggleborn but still a witch. You've probably had accidental bursts of magic by now. I know because I have, too. Think of something odd you couldn't explain. It's something that can be frightening, even with my parents telling me about it. I'm sure you were pretty scared._

_I'll try to answer any questions you have,_

_Draco Malfoy_

Harry read through the letter, his eyes widening in wonder. He was a wizard and his parents had been magical as well? It seemed too good to be true and too farfetched; if what his relatives had ground into him was to be believed.

But as Harry moved to hide the letters under the floorboards he couldn't deny the odd occurrences that had happened. Ending up on the school roof suddenly when Dudley and his friends were chasing him. His hair growing back overnight. As he stared at the letter what Draco said began to make sense.

He grabbed another piece of paper and a pencil to start writing back to Draco. As much as the idea of magic was exciting he wanted to know if the blond knew anything else about his parents.

Harry wrote a reply quickly glancing occasionally out the window in his cousin's spare bedroom to make sure the owl hadn't flown away. He thought the method of sending post through owl was so odd; it must have been a quirk that "wizards" had. As he walked towards the window the owl stretched out it's leg expectantly for the small boy to tie down the letter. He stroked the proud owls feathers and it preened under the attention before stretching out its wings and taking flight.

The raven-haired boy smiled as the owl flew into the night and closed the window after it faded from sight.

…

_Draco,_

_I still don't know what to make of you calling me a wizard. My relatives make a huge point that magic doesn't exist. The things you described about your world sound fun and amazing but I can't possibly be like you._

_What do you know about my parents?_

_Anyways, I'm really excited for the recital too! Madison and I have been practicing together and I've been working on a song that my piano teacher gave me. It's beautiful and challenging but I'm enjoying it. I wish I could have a music room of my own like Madison and my teacher have. Do you have one too? I bet it's filled with book and your "wizarding" things. _

_I can't write for too much longer. Hope I'll hear from you soon!_

_Harry Potter_

…

_Harry,_

_Trust me, when you get your letter from Dumbledore, you'll finally be able to enter the Wizarding World. Maybe, however, when we see each other at the Honors Recital we might be able to spend some time together afterwards. You'll be recognized for sure, being Harry Potter and all. _

_I don't want to tell you everything, but lets just say, somehow you defeated someone who very powerful from a young age. I suppose that gives away a lot… Weird that you haven't gotten letters from Dumbledore; he's not that much of a crackpot old fool to not send the most infamous Wizard in all of Britain a letter. _

_I personally don't know that much about your parents. I thought your aunt was your mother's sister; doesn't she ever talk about them?_

_Anyway, yes I have a music room. You'd like it; I've got a grand piano and my violin and tons of music; practically a library. If I see you at the ceremony I'm going to bring some of my favorite songs and maybe we can play something together. I even have some violin duets but I'd rather play with you. _

_By the way, you never told me what you did for your birthday…_

_Draco_

…

_Dear Draco,_

_You should bring your music! Sometimes I play some of Madison's easier songs for sightreading practice. _

_I don't have any music of my own at my house, I wouldn't want my relatives to see it. Speaking of them, they don't tell me anything about my parents other than bad things I don't want to say…._

_My birthday was amazing! I saw a concert with a pianist who was only 19 which I thought was pretty cool! _

_Sorry this letter is so short. I have a lot of chores to do before I can make it to my teacher's house to practice for a bit. _

_Talk to you soon!_

_Harry_

…_**..**_

Draco frowned as he looked at Harry's latest letter. His relatives said bad things about Potter's parents? He himself knew what his father briefly mentioned, Lily Evans being Muggleborn and Potter being a pureblood but a traitor. He knew that Harry wouldn't have understood or even liked that answer and Draco knew there was more about the other boy's parents that those small details.

The blond was looking forward to the recital and seeing Harry again. He liked talking through their letters and he had a bit of an interest in him due to his 'celebrity' status. Most of that had melted away upon meeting Harry as the wizard had no clue about their world or who he was. More than that, he was so small, soft spoken and completely different from what his father had said about the boy.

He set aside the letter he had started for Harry and began writing to his father's good friend Severus Snape who served as a godfather of sorts to Draco. Even with the grudge the man held against the Potters he knew the Potions Master would be interested in this turn of events. Besides, Draco hadn't sent out an invitation to him yet and he knew the man would want to attend to hear him play.

…**..**

Dumbledore sat down at his desk in his office and absently stirred a cup of tea. Sitting across from him was his Potions Master, Severus Snape.

An owl flew into Dumbledore's open window and landed on Severus' shoulder. The man stroked the owl's feathers and smirked as the owl nipped his fingers lightly. He pulled the letter and ribbon from the bird's leg and turned away as the bird flew to Fawkes' perch and drank some water from the phoenixes' dish.

"Ah, Draco sent me an invitation to an Honor's recital," Snape murmured as he pulled the ticket out of the cream envelope. He scanned the date and then set it down on the desk, beginning to read about the recital and how it went again.

Dumbledore stroked Fawkes' soft plumage and smiled at the lovely phoenix until his Potions Master made a sharp intake of air and pushed the letter in front of Dumbledore.

"Albus, Draco has supposedly met _Harry Potter_ at this music convention and said that not only was the boy actually talented he had no knowledge of the Wizarding World. I find the first bit hard to believe but, sir, the boy actually told Draco that there was no such thing as magic."

Snape watched as the wizened old man held the letter up to his face and adjusted his glasses on his nose. He scanned the letter quickly and let out an amused laugh. "Well it seems the young man has an extraordinary talent. Maybe the two of them will meet and become friends."

Snape scoffed loudly and folded his arms over his chest. "The odds of that happening are less than zero, Headmaster. Lucius would never approve of that and even though the Dark Lord has been gone for a long while that doesn't mean we need to tempt Fate.

"What I'm more concerned about is the fact that the boy doesn't know who he is or what magic is for that matter. Draco even said when he told Potter about his "status" the boy laughed it off! You placing Potter with those Muggles was one of your worst decisions."

Dumbledore fixed Snape with a deep look before calmly folding the letter and setting it back down on the table.

"Well, since I know other performers for this recital I will go and see for myself what young Harry's abilities are. If what Draco says is true then we are both in for a real treat."

Snape glared at the headmaster as he avoided his question. "Hopefully you'll reveal the boy's history to him instead of leaving him in the dark?"

Dumbledore smiled slightly and gestured to the younger wizard. "I won't do it if the time isn't right. There are reasons that I sent Harry there that aren't visible on the surfact, Severus. In the meanwhile, reply to Draco and let him know you're going to the Honors Recital; I'm sure he's waiting for a reply."

Writing out a reply with a sneer on his face Snape resolved to get more information out of the headmaster later on and get more information from Draco. Dumbledore couldn't keep his secrets forever.

….

_I know there are a lot of inconsistences, especially since I literally haven't looked at this story in 3 years. I_ _wonder if anyone is really following it anymore. Well, reviews are appreciated! Leave me a message and let me know about errors/questions you might have._

_Next should be the Honors Recital and what Dumbledore, Snape, and others think of Harry's playing. Madison and Draco will bump heads and we'll see what the Dursleys think about the recital! _

_Korogi-chan _

_7/30/12_


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello! After three years here is an update!** _I'm on Tumblr at Shards-of-Divinity where I'll post about new chapters and you can ask me questions there and here as well!_

I own nothing of the Harry Potter series. I am borrowing the characters for my story which I hope you'll enjoy. Madison Ackhardt, her family, Harry's teachers such as Mrs. Hendrixson and others are of my own creation. The music Harry, Draco, and Madison play is not mine either. I'm usually vague with what they play but I might write something cool out for Harry to play later on .

_Harry escaped from the hell his relatives created with the magic of music. After being discovered by a young Draco Malfoy who plays violin he begins to learn about a whole different world he's a part of. _

_NOTE: _I decided to skip the amount of time between the performance for the scholarship winners and just went to the night of the performance. Nothing was really important enough and writing a chapter of just practicing for M/H would have been awkward. ENJOY

…

_**Music Sets Me Free**_

_Chapter Fourteen_

**...**

Harry rushed away as fast as he could from the Dursleys' car and ignored his uncle calling out after him. After the entire car ride of his cousin poking him and complaining about having to go to the concert and his uncle still talking about the money from the scholarship, Harry's head was about to explode. He clutched his music bag close to him as he made his way into the building. An usher smiled down at him and pointed towards the check in table and Harry made his way to it while looking for Madison or Draco.

"Harry!"

He turned and saw Mrs. Hendrixson standing near the check in table with her husband standing at her side. Harry smiled brightly and walked towards them. He was immediately enveloped in a hug and that helped calm his nerves.

"I have four other students playing here tonight and I'm glad to see that you could make it! I saw Madison a bit ago with her parents. I think they went to the warm up rooms down that hallway."

"Alright, I'll see you later!" Harry called as he walked towards the direction his teacher had mentioned.

Harry's smile brightened as he found Draco in the crowd. Two other children stood by him and the three of them were laughing and talking excitedly. He noticed there also wore strange robes as well and it dawned on him they might be magical as well.

Draco glanced his way briefly, his eyes lighting up and he made a move to step away from his friends. The girl in the fuchsia robes grabbed his sleeve with a petulant look on her face. Draco huffed in annoyance, and Harry found himself being annoyed by the pug faced girl as well.

The blond's other friend followed Draco's gaze and looked at Harry before gesturing towards him with a questioning look. Draco managed a raised hand in greeting and Harry smiled in return.

The stuck up girl gave Harry a look of disapproval and nudged him in the side. "Drakey, you actually speak to Muggles here?"

Harry watched as an annoyed flush spread across Draco's face. The dark haired boy giggled to himself as he heard the ridiculous nickname the girl had given to the blonde. _'Drakey'?_

Draco knew Harry had heard that as he sent a glare the boy's way.

"I insist you stop using that horrible nickname, Pansy. And you know this competition caters to the magical and non-magical alike. Of course, I don't know _why_…"

"Still," Pansy sniffed, "why bother talking to any of them at all?"

Blaise rolled his eyes but still watched Harry as he stole glances at Draco. There was something familiar about those vivid green eyes.

"He keeps watching you, Draco, and even looks like he's familiar with you. At least he doesn't appear to be as poorly dressed as some Muggles here."

Draco watched as Madison walked over to Harry and spoke briefly to him. The two friends laughed and Harry nodded towards Draco. Madison looked at him in surprise before making a face towards the blonde. Draco sneered in return and Harry rolled his eyes before Madison linked her arm through his and the two walked away.

Madison and Harry made their way to a practice room and she said, "Seems like Draco's friends don't have much better a disposition than he does."

Harry ignored her comment and sighed. He hadn't told his friend that he and Draco had been sending letters back and forth for the past few weeks. Despite his reluctance to break away from his friends, Harry had seen the way the other boy's eyes had lit up when he saw him.

"Let's worry about that later on—after we've warmed up and find an empty practice room."

…**..**

Draco managed to get some warm up time in and slip away from his friends long enough to try and find Harry. He glanced into each room's small window until he saw Harry sitting at an upright piano. His friend was nowhere in sight, he noticed with a smirk.

Harry was turned a page when Draco stepped into the room. The movement made the other wizard jump, knocking the music off the stand in surprise. It landed on the keyboard with a horrible _'pang!'_

The blond couldn't help but laugh at Harry's wince and red face. Then Harry's expression melted into a smile and he jumped off the piano bench, running towards Draco. Before he knew it, Harry had thrown his arms around him in a hug.

"It's good to see you!" Harry said, noticing that the other boy had gone stiff. He went stiff as well and berated himself for just randomly hugging Draco that way. The two had struck up a friendship of sorts but weren't that close. It was bad habit he'd picked up from Madison's own spontaneous hugs she would give him.

"Errr…"

Draco hesitantly hugged Harry back. His friends – other than Pansy, at least—weren't usually the hugging sort. His father certainly didn't hug him but his mother would when the moment came along. When she was proud of him or when he was upset enough and needed someone to talk to.

'Being hugged by Harry wasn't bad,' he thought as he gazed over the shorter boy's shoulder. It wasn't awkward. It actually was nice…

They pulled away, Harry with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Haha, sorry. I think that's a habit I've picked up from Madison."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Your Muggle friend, the violin player?"

Harry gave Draco a look. "When you say it like that, it sounds like an insult coming from you. I'm still not sure if I believe you about magic and the other things you mentioned."

The blond turned from Harry briefly to shut the practice room door. At the other's questioning look, he said, "We don't want to be heard by non-magical people. Our world is hidden from theirs for a reason."

"Why would it be hidden? I'm sure people could benefit from whatever it is magic can do!" Harry exclaimed. He thought of all the times he wished that somehow he had a nice bed to stay in or that his chores would just do themselves. If everyone had magic things would be so much easier!

Draco rolled his eyes. "There are rules in place and they protect us from being hurt and Muggles, too. They would get jealous of our abilities and try to wipe us out. Don't you learn anything in these Muggle schools of yours?

"Our worlds have to stay separate. The only exceptions are families who have someone magical in them—"

Harry latched onto that quickly.

"If I'm really a w-wizard," he stumbled over the word, "then my parents were magical right? Then, my aunt and uncle have to know about it too!"

Draco watched Harry steadily as it began to dawn on him. "If Aunt Petunia was my mum's sister then she must know about magic! Uncle Vernon and she always say magic doesn't exist…"

"Exactly," Draco said and moved a little closer to Harry. "You make it sound like they said that excessively to make it _not _true—"

"They hid it from me!" Harry said in a rush, shaking in anger and excitement. "They knew the entire time and they kept it from me. That explains so many things like me ending up on the roof and my hair growing back in one night after Aunt Petunia cut it all off."

Draco huffed a laugh. "She cut all of your hair? Why would she do that?"

Harry ran his fingers through his hair shyly. "She was sick of how unruly it is." Draco laughed and murmured, "Well, from what I know your dad's hair was the same."

Slowly Harry looked up at the other boy his eyes wide and beginning to shine.

"Y-you've heard about my dad?" He reached out abruptly and squeezed Draco's arm. He yelped in surprise before Harry began to babble.

"What do you know about him? Do you know things about both of my parents? Why do you know so much about _me_!? What did my mum look like?"

Draco held up his free hand in front of his face at the other boy's questions. "First, like I told you once before, you're _famous _and in some circles infamous. There isn't one witch or wizard who doesn't know about you and what you did. So, by that, everyone knows your parents. They were well known on their own before you were born."

"But," he rushed to finish before Harry absorbed that tidbit of information, "Second and more importantly, you don't even know what you parents look like? How is that even possible? Your aunt is your mum's sister! Surely they have pictures around the house of them or even talk about them."

A dark look passed over Harry face and he looked away. "There are no pictures of my parents and the only things I've ever heard about my parents was that my father was a drunkard and he got mum pregnant and she had to marry him. He was no good and then both of them died in a car crash when I was one." Harry turned tearful green eyes back to Draco and asked in a broken voice, "That's not true is it?"

Draco rested his hand on Harry's hand that was gripping his sleeve. "That's the biggest load of tripe I've ever heard. That's not true Harry, not at all. They died to save you…"

Harry snapped his head back to Draco in shock and disbelief. He had somehow always known that the Dursleys were lying to him but to hear someone actually _say_ that what his relatives told was a lie felt so wonderful.

The two boys stood there quietly for a moment deep in thought. Harry's mind was working so fast trying to ask more questions, especially with Draco mentioning the reason he was famous was because of something he'd _done. _Before Harry could ask more questions the door to the practice room opened and Madison walked in with a confused look on her face.

"Harry? Draco!?"

The two wizards stepped away from each other and Harry blushed as his friend looked between them. She turned her gaze onto Draco.

"I hope you weren't bothering Harry," the brunette groused as she looked over Draco's strange attire. "Looks like you forgot how to dress normally again."

Draco raised his head in a haughty gesture. "As if _you _would know anything about what's proper formal attire." He looked at her perfectly respectable lavender cardigan over a cream dress with roses patterned on it and shining patent leather shoes with distain. He knew the clothes, for a Muggle, were of nice quality but his robes were silk.

The two of them glared at each other before Harry brushed by knocking them apart. "Hey you two, let's go backstage and figure out what we're supposed to be doing, yeah?"

Harry sighed in relief as Madison and Draco followed behind him but still bickered over his shoulder.

…**.**

After all of the student performers found their way backstage Joseph Brocklehurst and Cecilia Doubleday welcomed them all and Brocklehurst smiled and clapped his hands together to get their attention.

"You all received a scholarship from our musical society and as a result, you are performing here tonight. You've done very well and congrats again! By being here, this opens doors to you to further your musical studies if you choose to do so. I know that there are four students who are attending one of our schools in the fall."

Madison bounced on her heels a bit and Harry smiled at her. He knew his friend was very excited to start at her new school.

"After the performance there will be a reception and you and your families are welcome to stay and enjoy it. In a few moments the first performer will be heading on stage. Good luck to you all!"

The students clapped and then dispersed. The first performer, a tall boy who was a vocalist smiled and made his way onto the stage to start the recital.

Harry was pacing nervously backstage and Draco rolled his eyes and tugged on the other boy's sleeve to try to stop him. Harry nearly fell over in surprise, making the blond laugh before Madison shoved him as she made her way to her friend's side.

"Stop pestering Harry. He's nervous!" the brunette huffed and Draco rose a slender eyebrow as if to say, _'Did YOU really just do that to ME!?'_

"Pacing is an annoying habit and I'm sick of seeing you pass by, Potter," Draco said ignoring Madison as she checked her strings one last time. She was on deck to play next and she was practically bouncing on her heels in excitement. Harry stuck out his tongue at Draco before running a hand through his hair, mussing the slicked back strands. "You two will do fine and you'll do great on your solo."

"Am I invisible now?" the girl mused as she reached out with one arm to give Harry a squeeze. "Yeah, Harry we will be great! We've practiced for weeks and everything! They're going to love it!"

Harry shrugged and gave a weak smile. "I know we practiced Maddy, but there are so many people out there! This isn't like the auditions where maybe a handful of people were sitting in the seats, watching us…"

"You'll get used to it, trust me," Draco piped in. "You plan on continuing to study piano, right?"

A dark look passed over Harry's face as he thought of his relatives and how hard they had fought to keep him from coming here in the first place, and how mad his uncle was about the scholarship money being kept tucked away. He loved piano and even though it made him nervous, performing was great.

Harry met Draco's intense stare and he knew that he had taken too long to answer.

"Of course I do," Harry murmured softly. "I love playing piano…"

Madison laughed softly to break the tension; she had seen Harry's hesitation and knew what it had been about. "When you play more often, you'll ignore the people in the audience and focus on the music. There were a lot of people at our spring recital at school, you know."

Harry glanced away. "Those were just students, teachers, and parents. There are professional musicians and critics out there so it's completely different."

Loud clapping cut off Madison's reply and she smiled brightly at Harry before reaching out to hug him again. "Well, it's nearly time for us to go on! We will be amazing so quit worrying!"

The previous performer came in, beaming at the two of them before wishing them luck.

Madison stepped out onto the stage first and bowed at the light applause. She glanced back as she heard Harry pull the piano bench back and settle onto it after adjusting the height. He opened the music to the correct page and smiled softly. She nodded and turned back to the audience as she introduced herself and gave the title of the piece and the composer.

Harry began the upbeat melody of the folk song Madison had chosen. After four bars she came in and he relaxed as they fell into the familiar song. He was paying too much attention to Madison to worry about the audience.

Finally, Madison played the end of the piece and Harry his last four bars. He finished with a flourish and smiled as the audience began to clap in earnest. Madison took in all of the praise before turning towards him and extending her hand in recognition. Harry stood as well and bowed. The applause grew even louder. He glanced around the crowd for familiar faces and saw the Dursleys clapping along as well. His uncle was that horrible red color he tended to turn when he was angry but his aunt actually looked pleased as she clapped. She nudged Dudley who clapped as well.

Harry looked around at the familiar faces of Mrs. Hendrixson and then Madison's family. He smiled brightly as they kept clapping as well. Madison took his hand and the two children bowed together before exiting the stage together. Draco smiled at Harry and nodded to Madison before offering congratulations.

"See, told you there was nothing to worry about. You did great Harry." He paused. "You too, Madison."

Madison was too excited from how well her performance was to pay too much attention to the blond. She squeezed Harry tight and the two of them hopped around laughing and full of happiness. Someone hissed at them to keep it down and leave the backstage area. Harry rolled his eyes and hissed at Draco, "You could just be nice and say, 'Great job'."

Draco smirked in return, "I already paid a compliment, be happy." He glanced to the edge of the curtains and held up his violin and music. "I'm on deck. Then you're playing, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I'll just stay back here for now."

Harry turned back to Madison who watched the two of them with an interested look on her face. Harry knew she was wondering why the two of them were so talkative with each other. He'd tell her about the letters later on and the three of them listened to the next performance until it was over and Draco was next to go on.

"Don't mess up too badly," Madison called as Draco and his piano accompanist made to go on stage. Draco rolled his eyes and Harry giggled and waved as the two entered the stage.

Draco walked confidently on the stage, his robes flowing around him. He looked cool and calm and totally in his element. Harry looked on with a bit of jealousy as Draco settled his music down after sweeping down into a practiced bow to the audience. He had noticed how Draco carried himself and even his friends did the same thing. Harry just wanted that confidence for himself.

He watched as Draco held his bow and went into playing position. He took in a deep breath then let it out slowly before nodding. Three beats later he began to play, his piece slow and melodic. The piano came in measures later and Harry smiled as his friend played through his piece. It was slow and melancholy before switching to another short movement that was faster and more upbeat.

Draco's piece came to a close and he gave another bow before holding out a hand to his piano accompanist who stood as well and bowed. Draco let a hint of a smile through before turning away and walking to exit the stage.

He finally smiled at Harry and even at Madison, who gave a crooked smile in return. He nudged Harry's arm and whispered, "You'll do great, good luck," before standing by Madison to watch Harry.

Harry squared his shoulders. Now it was his turn to perform. He took in a large breath and let it out slowly. It helped to calm his nerves. He glanced back at his friends once more, before walking out to the stage.

As Harry moved to stand in the middle of the stage everything seemed _more_. The hall seemed larger—the amount of people more staggering and his nerves began to gnaw at the edge of his confidence. He looked out at the familiar faces that comforted him and they smiled. He glanced towards Draco's friends who were watching him critically. He noticed a blond couple with the same aristocratic features Draco had and a long haired man in black sitting near them who looked particularly intimidating.

Harry shook himself and stated his name and his piece he was going to play before moving quickly to the piano. He set his music on the stand, adjusted the seat and sat down. He opened the book, ran a hand along the worn and familiar page before closing his eyes. He knew this piece, barely needed the music and with that thought, settled his hands on the smooth piano keys and began to play.

The music filled the hall and everyone stared in rapture at the young wizard as his hands moved over the keys. Harry was completely focused on the piece he was playing and it was if everything else melted away. The excited murmurs and the looks of disbelief and awe, even the large hall which had at first made Harry nervous and self-conscious didn't even faze him anymore.

It was simple, he realized as he reached out to quickly turn a page. Madison and Draco had been right and he didn't know why he had been so afraid. Even the Dursleys didn't matter at the moment and the threat of them taking away his lessons.

Harry's piece came to an end and then the hall erupted with applause—even cheering. Harry looked up in shock before standing up from the piano and walking forward. A huge smile spread across his face as he bowed. He bowed again after the clapping continued on and glanced to his right. Madison and Draco were smiling at him from around the curtain and Harry laughed. He was so giddy from how well he'd played.

Finally, he moved to exit the stage, the loud clapping following him as he went. Madison hugged him and Draco patted his back as they moved to leave the stage. The three wanted to go to the seating area to watch the rest of the performances.

…**.**

Severus slowly began to clap with the rest of the audience. He couldn't deny how surprised he was at Potter's talent for music. When the child had made his way to the piano—a shy look on his face as he sat down—Severus had settled back in his seat, arms folded waiting to be bored. Even for an honors recital the boy stood out—being a celebrity notwithstanding. The hall was full of thunderous applause and he could hear others around him commenting on the wizard. As Severus watched Potter move from the piano and bow with a wide smile across his face at the crowd, the man knew that as soon as the concert was over people would flock to the boy. They would fawn over him and make a fuss; as if he needed more attention than he had!

Dark eyes followed the child as he moved offstage and from his seat he could see a taller girl and Draco Malfoy smile at Harry. Then the three children were finally obscured by the heavy curtains. The clapping hadn't quieted yet and some people were even calling for an encore. Severus rolled his eyes at how rude the patrons were; three acts followed Potter's—he couldn't just dominate the show.

The Potions Master glanced down his row and could see the Malfoys clapping slowly. Lucius had an intense look on his face and Severus assumed that he had seen his son with the Potter boy just then. He knew the man wouldn't be happy about that. Severus was interested in how Lucius would react.

As the clapping began to die down and the next performer made their way to the stage, Severus knew that Albus was sitting in the hall as well and had seen the boy's performance. Severus even had seen Petunia and her lump of a son and husband in attendance despite themselves. Things were being set in motion and he wondered how this would turn out. Especially with Potter potentially speaking with a wizard about magic. He'd been placed with Petunia who had always been jealous of her sister and hated magic. He could only imagine what the boy experienced in that home.

In either case, this was an interesting turn of events.

…..

Harry let out an exasperated sigh as Draco grabbed him by his sleeve and dragged him away from another group of people who were congratulating him after the concert. It seemed that so many people kept trying to talk to him, and judging by how many of them had odd robes maybe he _was _famous.

"You know, there are other ways to get a person to talk to you than dragging them down a hallway, right?"

Harry stumbled as Draco gave him a rough tug and he nearly crashed into another boy.

"You. Did. AMAZING!"

The blond hugged Harry, making the other wizard stiffen in surprise before relaxing into the embrace and returning it. Draco pulled away, his face flushed with embarrassment at his actions. His parents would not approve of his actions most of the night around this boy.

"Thanks a lot," Harry said with a smile as he held onto his gig bag. "You sounded great, too."

His voice faded a bit before he continued with resolve. "Is there anything else you can tell me about magic—about my parents?"

Draco glanced over Harry's shoulder and saw Blaise standing there, arms folded across his chest with an eyebrow raised. He jerked his head to the side and Draco knew that as a signal his parents were looking for him. He shook his head and backed away a bit before moving around Harry quickly.

"My parents are looking for me and, er – well it's important." Draco felt foolish at the hurt on his friend's face and his very poor attempts to hide the fact that his parents seeing him with Harry Potter of all people would cause trouble for both of them.

"I'll write to you later when I get home or tomorrow, alright? I can't explain now but if I can I'll try to answer questions you'll have," the blond called out before rushing down the hallway, robes swishing about his feet. He reached his friend and nodded his thanks before disappearing around the corner. Blaise nodded to Harry who just watched in confusion as he rounded the corner as well.

Harry stood there, mind whirling with too many thoughts before he shook himself and left the corridor as well. He followed the crowd of people to the banquet hall where refreshments and people were, laughing and talking loudly. He found Madison and the two munched on cookies while watching the others around him.

He found Draco standing with two tall blonds in elegant robes. The woman rested her hand on Draco's shoulder and smiled at him. Harry realized that they must have been his parents. They looked cold and unapproachable despite the brief smile Draco's mother had given him, and his father looked especially intimidating. Cool grey eyes passed over him and Harry shivered.

Draco smiled slightly at Harry before being led away with his parents. Harry sighed and returned to looking around the room. He hoped that his friend would send a letter soon…

Harry saw a tall wizard with a long beard and an interesting indigo waistcoat standing with Brocklehurst and Doubleday, holding a glass of the punch instead of wine like the other adults were. He caught Harry's eye and raised his glass, a smile gracing his wizened features. Something about that clear blue gaze behind spectacles made Harry feel as if someone were gazing right through him.

Before he could analyze it further his aunt was grabbing his shoulder, her hand shaking slightly as she squeezed.

"Come on, boy, the concert's over and we have to get home." Unbeknownst to Harry she was looking fearfully towards the tall man whose gaze shifted from Harry to Petunia. He raised his eyebrow and regarded her silently before she nodded slightly, pulling Harry away.

Harry glanced back at the man once more before they all exited the building. It hadn't escaped his notice that his aunt had been acting oddly and the look the man had given her had been odd. He walked with his aunt to the car noticing that Dudley and his uncle were already inside with the vehicle running.

Footsteps sounded behind him and he saw Madison running towards him. "Harry, I was going to ask if you wanted to grab dinner with us after!"

He opened his mouth to form a reply but his aunt pushed him towards the car. "We're in a hurry dear," her voice sugary sweet. With that, both of them disappeared into the car and it pulled jerkily away before pulling quickly out of the parking lot and heading down the road. Madison sighed and turned away to walk back up the stairs to the music hall.

Harry sighed as the car pulled away but smiled softly. He tuned out his uncle and rested his head against the cool glass as the car rushed along the road. Harry, despite everything, was brimming with excitement. He had a new friend, learned so little but so much at the same time about his parents and had done wonderfully at the recital. He felt light, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. For once, Harry felt like he had won something and that feeling was just amazing.

…

_8/12/12_

_4,900 + words._

_Thanks, please leave CONSTRUCTIVE criticism and reviews and any other comments you might have. _

_A huge thanks to my new beta: __**Sakamoto Itoe**__ for helping me with an outline and going over my previous chapters to fix inconsistencies. _

_Don't forget to check me out on Tumblr. I've got a random mash of fandoms I'm into but I will answer questions about my story if anyone is interested. _


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